This projects aimed at substantially improving the understanding of the role played by environmental factors on the long term hydric fatigue endurance of fibre reinforced composites. This was achieved by an extensive experimental campaign and the development of physically robust finite element based modelling techniques. This allowed the prediction of the onset of fatigue induced damage in laminates subjected to arbitrary temperature and humidity cycles.

Such a modelling capability was the key for establishing equivalence factors between the actual conditions in which composite structural elements are required to operate and the characterisation environment employed in the laboratory.