Journal
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
Volume 97, Issue -, Pages 222-230Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2012.10.021
Keywords
Composite materials; Ageing; Fatigue
Categories
Funding
- Mariner s.r.l.
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Glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) composite material is often utilized in marine applications for the construction of boats and ships. In this application it is a usual procedure to protect the material with a layer of gel-coat, but if the gel-coat breaks the material would be in direct contact with a humid environment. The main objective of this study was to understand the degradation that sea-water causes on GFRP mechanical properties. The article deals with two common resin systems in marine applications, i.e. polyester and vinylester, and reports the results of quasi-static and vibration tests at different sea-water exposure times, and fatigue tests in dry and wet environments of unexposed specimens and specimens aged in sea water for 22-weeks. The results show degradation of the material in terms of ultimate stress in the case of quasi-static loading, and no appreciable degradation on the fatigue loading case. Vibration tests demonstrated a stable flexural modulus during the water exposure period. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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