Experimental Study of the Relaxation Properties of Carbon Fiber Cloth

In this study, a new method was proposed to study the relaxation properties of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) fabric under axial tension. Under the condition of constant temperature and humidity, six groups of 168 h stress relaxation tests were conducted. Considering the influence of the prestress level, the size of CFRP cloth, and the surface coating of CFRP cloth on the relaxation performance, the measures to reduce the relaxation loss were proposed. The relaxation rate calculation model was established based on the test results of the authors and other scholars and was validated through comparisons with the test results. The results indicate that the relaxation rate of CFRP cloth was between 1.92% and 6.1%. When the prestress level was smaller than 0.3 fu, the relaxation rate of CFRP cloth decreased with the increase of prestress level. When the prestress level was greater than 0.3 fu, the relaxation rate increased with the increase of the prestress level. Under the same conditions, the relaxation rate of the CFRP specimens coated with glue was smaller than the uncoated samples by 3.21–6.28%. The calculation model could well estimate the relaxation rate of CFRP cloth.