NASA Langley and the U.S. Army have jointly sponsored programs to assess the effects of realistic flight environments and ground-based exposure on advanced composite materials and structures. Composite secondary structural components were initially installed on commercial transport aircraft in 1973; secondary and primary structural components were installed on commercial helicopters in 1979; and primary structural components were installed on commercial aircraft in the mid-to-late 1980's. Over 5.3 million total component flight hours have been accumulated on 350 composite components since 1973. Service performance, maintenance characteristics, and residual strength of numerous composite components are reported. In addition to data on flight components; 10-year ground-based exposure test results on material coupons are reported. Comparisons between flight and ground-based environmental effects for several composite material systems are also presented. Test results indicate excellent in-service performance with the. composite components during the 15 year evaluation period. Good correlation between ground-based material performance and operational structural performance has been achieved.

This handbook documents engineering methodologies for the development of standardized, statistically -based material property data for polymer matrix composite materials. Also provided are data summaries for a number of relevant composite material systems for which available data meets specific MIL-HNBK-17 requirements for publication. Additionally, supporting materials are summarized. This handbook has been developed and is maintained as a joint effort of the Department of Defense and the Federal Aviation Administration. The book's primary purpose is the standardization of engineering data development methodologies related to characterization, testing, data reduction, and data reporting of properties for composite material systems for which data meeting specific requirements is available.

This handbook documents engineering methodologies for the development of standardized, statistically -based material property data for polymer matrix composite materials. Also provided are data summaries for a number of relevant composite material systems for which available data meets specific MIL-HNBK-17 requirements for publication. Additionall

Volume 1 of this six-volume compendium contains guidelines for determining the properties of polymer matrix composite material systems and their constituents, as well as the properties of generic structural elements, including test planning, test matrices, sampling, conditioning, test procedure selection, data reporting, data reduction, statistical analysis, and other related topics. Special attention is given to the statistical treatment and analysis of data. Volume 1 contains guidelines for general development of material characterization data as well as specific requirements for publication of material data in CMH-17. The Composite Materials Handbook, referred to by industry groups as CMH-17, is a six-volume engineering reference tool that contains over 1,000 records of the latest test data for polymer matrix, metal matrix, ceramic matrix, and structural sandwich composites. CMH-17 provides information and guidance necessary to design and fabricate end items from composite materials. It includes properties of composite materials that meet specific data requirements as well as guidelines for design, analysis, material selection, manufacturing, quality control, and repair. The primary purpose of the handbook is to standardize engineering methodologies related to testing, data reduction, and reporting of property data for current and emerging composite materials. It is used by engineers worldwide in designing and fabricating products made from composite materials.