Abstract
The use of thermoplastic composites as a sustainable alternative to thermosets is gaining increasing popularity due to their improved recyclability at the end of life. The fatigue performance of glass fibre/acrylic, glass fibre/acrylic- polyphenylene ether, and glass fibre/epoxy specimens, under three distinct upper stress levels (R-ratio = 0.1; f = 5 Hz) was studied. S–N curves were established for these specimens both before and after immersing them for three months in seawater (temperature: 50 °C). The dry thermoplastic composites exhibited similar fatigue performance to the thermoset counterpart at higher stress levels, with thermosets showing greater endurance at lower stress levels. Interestingly, the aged specimens showed comparable fatigue endurance, with a slight advantage in favour of the thermoplastic composites and less variability in their data. This study offers important insights into the fatigue performance of thermoplastic composites, emphasising their potential as sustainable alternatives to conventional thermoset composites for various marine applications.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
