a b s t r a c tThis paper proposes a new methodology for the finite element (FE) modelling of failure in adhesively bonded joints. Cohesive and adhesive failure are treated separately which allows accurate failure predictions for adhesive joints of different thicknesses using a single set of material parameters. In a companion paper (part I), a new smeared-crack model for adhesive joint cohesive failure was proposed and validated. The present contribution gives an in depth investigation into the interaction among plasticity, cohesive failure and adhesive failure, with application to structural joints. Quasi-static FE analyses of double lap-joint specimens with different thicknesses and under different levels of hydrostatic pressure were performed and compared to experimental results. In all the cases studied, the numerical analysis correctly predicts the driving mechanisms and the specimens' final failure. Accurate fatigue life predictions are made with the addition of a Paris based damage law to the interface elements used to model the adhesive failure.

An innovative testing methodology to evaluate the effect of long-term exposure to a marine environment on Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers (GFRPs) has been investigated and is presented in this paper. Up to one-year ageing was performed in seawater, to simulate the environment for offshore oil and gas applications. The performance of an epoxy and epoxy-based GFRP exposed at different temperatures from 25 to 80 °C was quantified. The materials were also aged in dry air, to de-couple the thermal effect from the seawater chemical action. Gravimetric testing and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) were conducted in parallel on progressively aged specimens. The effect of specimen geometry and the anisotropic nature of diffusion are comprehensively discussed in this paper. For the quasi-infinite specimens, the results show an exponential increase in the seawater absorption rate with temperature. The methodology allowed for the prediction of the diffusivity at a temperature of 4 °C as 0.23 and 0.05 × 10−13 m2/s for the epoxy and the epoxy-based composite, respectively. The glass transition temperature reduces as sea water is absorbed, yet the sea water effects appear to be reversible upon drying.

We have investigated the formulations and curing parameters to obtain an epoxy foam to be used as thermal insulator layer for a glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP). A relevant decrease (50%) of the apparent density of the foam was achieved by adding up to 5 wt % of foaming agent without affecting the glass-transition temperature (T g ). The mechanical properties were inevitably affected by the foaming, but a remarkable reduction down to 30% of the original value of the thermal conductivity was achieved. Morphological analysis by scanning electron microscopy showed a continuous interface between the epoxy GFRP and the foamed layer.

A combination of evanescent wave optical sensors (EWOSs) and fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs) were embedded in an epoxy vinyl ester and an epoxy vinyl ester based glass reinforced polymer (GRP) composite to measure fluid ingress that would result in degradation under hostile conditions. Samples were subjected to accelerated aging in the form of single sided exposure to simulated sea water at 1208C in a pressurised stainless steel vessel. Low cost EWOSs were prepared from a standard multimode glass optical fibre and compared to commercially available FBGs. Both sensors were able to detect the early stage of moisture diffusion into the GRP matrix. The evanescent sensors showed a reduction in the transmitted signal intensity between 1500 and 1650 nm with an increasing exposure time due to a change in the optical properties of the polymer, whereas a peak shift was observed for the FBGs due to the swelling of the resin with the absorption of water. Additionally, the glass optical fibre sensors were embedded in a configuration that allowed the extent of diffusion through the thickness of the GRPs to be monitored, with the fibres in the closest position to the exposure face showing a greater signal change than those positioned further away.

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