Abstract
Material degradation has marked impact on the long-term properties and service life of membrane structures. This study is aimed at assessing and understanding the deterioration in visual aspect, surface microstructure, and mechanical properties of a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer after engineering applications. Three groups of PVDF-coated fabrics were removed from different membrane structures in China, which have been used for 15, 16, and 19 years, respectively. Firstly, spectrocolorimetry tests were carried out to determine the evolution of chromaticity and lightness. Other methods such as contact angle and thickness measurements were used to characterize the physical properties. Then, surface morphology was observed by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) technology. Moreover, a series of uniaxial tensile tests and tearing tests were performed to obtain the mechanical indicators including uniaxial tensile strength, strain at break, tearing strength, and uniaxial elastic modulus. In order to further study the degradation mechanism, infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize the molecular structure of aged fabrics. Finally, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) provided a comprehensive description of correlations between surface microstructure, physical properties, and mechanical properties. This paper offers a further understanding of the design, qualification, and durability evaluation of membrane structures.
Highlights
In recent years, composites with coating such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or polypropylene (PP) have been developed rapidly and attracted research interests [1]
This paper mainly focuses on the performance of aged PVDF-coated fabrics named Précontraint 1202T and emphasizes the relationships between measured properties
This paper studies the ageing behaviour of PVDF-coated fabrics after practical engineering applications, by investigating the microstructure, physical properties, and mechanical properties based on statistical analysis
Summary
Composites with coating such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or polypropylene (PP) have been developed rapidly and attracted research interests [1]. Coated fabrics are increasingly used in civil engineering because of their superiorities such as high strength, light weight, and commercial efficiency. Various kinds of fabrics are prevailingly used as roofing materials for sports halls, shopping malls, and exhibition centres. Since coated fabrics are directly exposed to atmospheric environment during the service period, their properties are distinctly affected by snow, rain, solar radiation, temperature change, and so on. The degradation mechanism of composites should be studied to guide the structure design. The elaboration of correlations between the physical and mechanical properties during deterioration is helpful to assess material durability
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