Diffusion of water in glass fiber reinforced polymer composites at different temperatures

This study examines the effects of temperature and fiber and matrix diffusivities on the diffusion of fluid in glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites. Glass fiber-reinforced polymer thin plates were immersed in deionized water at two temperatures: room temperature and 50celcius. During the diffusion process, the overall mass changes and dimension changes were recorded, which relate to the volumetric change and the through-the-thickness strain. Different constitutive models are considered in order to understand the diffusion of fluid through the glass fiber-reinforced polymer plates. The macroscopic models of this work, Fickian and Gurtin coupled deformation-diffusion, are first considered in order to describe the macroscopic diffusion behaviors. Two microscopic models that include fiber volume contents and diffusivities of the constituents (fiber and matrix) are then considered in order to gain fundamental insight into the effects of microstructural morphologies and constituents' diffusivities on the diffusion process in the glass fiber-reinforced polymer specimens.