Abstract
The diffusion influence of seawater on the static and interlayer cracking properties of a polyvinyl chloride foam sandwich structure is investigated in this study. After soaking specimens in seawater for various durations, various comparison tests are performed to investigate the effects of seawater. Compression tests for H60 and H200 polyvinyl chloride foam specimens are conducted to study strength and modulus degradation, and the results show that immerging time and temperature have significant effects on polyvinyl chloride foam properties. Tensile tests for glass-fibre-reinforced plastic panels, four-point bending tests and double cantilever bending tests for polyvinyl chloride foam sandwich specimens are also performed. The results show that seawater immerging treatment has a noticeable influence on glass-fibre-reinforced plastic tensile properties and interlayer critical energy release rate values, but has almost no effect on bending properties of foam sandwich specimen. Furthermore, a rate-dependent phenomenon is observed in double cantilever bending tests, in which higher loading rate will lead to larger critical energy release values. Numerical simulation is also performed to illustrate the cracking process of double cantilever bending tests and shows a certain accuracy. The simulation also demonstrates that the viscoelasticity of foam material after immerging treatment results in the rate-dependent characterization of double cantilever bending tests.
Highlights
As a type of advanced composite structure, foam sandwiches have been widely used in engineering practice for their incredible features, such as high strength, lightweight, good stability and superior corrosion resistance
The strength of H60 polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foam immersed in 25°C for 30 days decreases by 21.4% compared to foam without immerging treatment, while for H200 PVC foam, the decrease is 11.5%
Regarding the influence of the seawater temperature (Figure 7), the compressive strength of the H60 PVC foam soaked for 30 days at 60°C is 14% lower than that soaked at 25°C
Summary
As a type of advanced composite structure, foam sandwiches have been widely used in engineering practice for their incredible features, such as high strength, lightweight, good stability and superior corrosion resistance. Its fatigue resistance, shock resistance and noise reduction properties have made it a promising application prospect in marine engineering and shipbuilding.[1,2,3] under seawater environments, strength, rigid, durability and toughness of foam sandwich structure may have different degradation mechanisms. Studying the influence of seawater on the mechanical properties of a foam sandwich is important and fundamental for its application in shipbuilding practice. FRP faceplate types often include glass-fibre-reinforced plastic (GFRP) and carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP). Considering cost and structural demand, a PVC foam sandwich with GFRP faceplates is the most suitable solution for application on ship structures
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