Abstract
Glass fiber-reinforced composites are exposed to hydrolytic degradation in subsea and offshore applications. Fiber-matrix interphase degradation was observed after the matrix was fully saturated with water and typical water absorption tests according to ASTM D5229 were stopped. Due to water-induced dissolution, fiber-matrix interphase flaws were formed, which then lead to increased water uptake. Cutting sample plates from a larger laminate, where the fibers were running parallel to the 1.5 mm long short edge, allowed the hydrolytic degradation process to be studied. The analysis is based on a full mechanistic mass balance approach considering all the composite’s constituents: water uptake and leaching of the matrix, dissolution of the glass fibers, and dissolution of the composite interphase. These processes were modeled using a combination of Fickian diffusion and zero-order kinetics. For the composite laminate studied here with a saturated epoxy matrix, the fiber matrix interphase is predicted to be fully degraded after 22 to 30 years.
Highlights
Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have experienced a rapid rise in use in the past 50 years due to their high strength, stiffness, relatively light weight and good corrosion resistance, especially when compared with more traditional structural materials such as steel and aluminum [1]
This composite interphase is of vital importance since the mechanical properties of composite materials are often determined by whether the mechanical stresses can be efficiently transferred from the matrix to the reinforcing fibers [3,4,5]
It was important to Thethe increase of the composites time within the firstthe few hundred hours could be include water uptake of the voids mass in thewith calculations
Summary
Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have experienced a rapid rise in use in the past 50 years due to their high strength, stiffness, relatively light weight and good corrosion resistance, especially when compared with more traditional structural materials such as steel and aluminum [1]. The reason for such superior performance is the synergistic interaction between the constituent materials inside the composite [1]. During the manufacture of FRPs, this results in the formation of a sizing-rich composite interphase between the reinforcing fibers and the matrix polymer [2]. It is generally agreed that the composite interphase is often the mechanical weak link and a potential source for the initiation of defects in fiber-reinforced composite structures [5]
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