This thesis presents and describes the results of thermo-mechanical loading experiments with intumescent mat material. After a brief introduction to intumescent mat technology, the types of experiments performed and the experimental apparatus will be discussed. In describing the types of experiments, the goals and methods of each experiment are outlined. In the descriptions of the experimental apparatus, the design, characteristics, and calibration of an NITS load frame and a custom designed constant load frame are discussed. Also, a heating system and a LabVIEW based data acquisition system for both load frames are described.
The next section of the thesis presents and discusses the results of each experiment. In room temperature constant gap experiments, stress relaxation, rate effects, and cyclic loading effects for intumescent mat material are explained. In high temperature constant gap experiments and compression experiments, the thermal behavior of intumescent mat material is investigated. In constant load experiments, mechanical and thermal behavior of intumescent mat material under constant load are explored.
The last section of the thesis summarizes the experimental results and observations of the intumescent mat material. After discussing the accomplishments, directions for future work are suggested.
Through the results of this work, the response of intumescent mat material to realistic mechanical and thermal loading is better understood. The results will be used by other researchers for the development of new constitutive laws for numerical modeling. The new, experimentally based constitutive laws will lead to predictive models which, through their development and application, will improve the scientific understanding of the design, performance, and reliability of catalytic converter systems.