Durability and prediction models of fiber-reinforced polymer composites under various environmental conditions: A critical review

This article presents recent developments in long-term behavior of fiber-reinforced polymer composites subjected to moisture, pH, temperature, sustained stress and ultraviolet radiation, as well as response under combined effects of moisture, pH, etc. Although numerous experiments have been conducted to investigate the durability of fiber-reinforced polymers under different environments, at this stage, it is difficult to ascertain the degradation trends and mechanisms of failures of fiber-reinforced polymers because of non-standardization of various conditioning effects and variation in material constituent. Recent findings on the long-term performance of fiber-reinforced polymer composites are synthesized herein. This article critically examined not only the moisture uptake response, mechanical property and failure modes of fiber-reinforced polymers under varying environments, but also the degradation mechanism through physical and chemical reactions. Moreover, based on information in literature, long-term predictive models were described along with the application potential and limitations. The strength reduction factors were proposed from available data to account for the environmental effects on fiber-reinforced polymers.