The effect of sandblasting on the initiation of stress corrosion cracking in unidirectional E-glass/polymer composites used in high voltage composite (non-ceramic) insulators

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of sandblasting on the initiation of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in unidirectional E-glass/polymer composite materials with modified polyester, epoxy and vinyl ester resins. The composites with different amounts of surface damage due to sandblasting have been subjected to mechanical bending loads in the presence of nitric acid (pH=1.2). It has been shown in this research that the resistance to SCC in nitric acid of the investigated E-glass/polymer composites, commonly used in high voltage composite (non-ceramic) insulators, is not reduced by the applied low and medium sandblasting conditions. On the contrary, the sandblasting slightly increases the resistance of the composites to the initiation and propagation of stress corrosion cracks.