Durability study of pultruded carbon fiber reinforced polymer plates subjected to water immersion

Abstract

Pultruded carbon fiber reinforced polymer plates have been widely used for structural rehabilitation due to their excellent mechanical properties. Even though, the long-term durability performance of carbon fiber reinforced polymer plates is still a concern, especially when subjected to harsh environmental conditions (e.g. water immersion). In the present study, the effects of water immersion at 23°C, 40°C, and 60°C on the degradation of the pultruded carbon fiber reinforced polymer plates were investigated in terms of water uptake and mechanical properties. To elucidate the degradation mechanisms, the resin matrix and the fiber and resin adhesion were also assessed in the same conditions. The test results indicated that water immersion, especially at higher temperatures, leads to serious fiber debonding, and thus the carbon fiber reinforced polymer samples absorb much more water than the resin matrix. In addition, the transverse flexural strength of the carbon fiber reinforced polymer plates, closely correlated to the fiber-resin adhesion, reduced significantly at high temperatures. On the contrary, the resin matrix and carbon fiber reinforced polymer plates show much less degradation subjected to the same immersion conditions. Therefore, to comprehensively understand the long-term durability of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer material, it is necessary to test the variation of the bonding strength between fiber and resin matrix, in addition to the tensile performances in fiber directions of the carbon fiber reinforced polymer plates.

Durability of an Epoxy Resin and Its Carbon Fiber- Reinforced Polymer Composite upon Immersion in Water, Acidic, and Alkaline Solutions

“…The role that the epoxy matrix plays in epoxy/CFRP composites during hygrothermal aging can be detected from the SEM images. The carbon fibers neither absorbed or swelled in the solutions, while the epoxy matrix swelled due to the stress at the interphase, resulting in cracking and debonding [47,48]. The cracks indicated the increased degradation kinetics in high-stress situations [32].…”

Water Absorption, Hydrothermal Expansion, and Thermomechanical Properties of a Vinylester Resin for Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites Subjected to Water or Alkaline Solution Immersion

“…FRP rods have been successfully applied to various engineering fields, such as sucker rods [4], strengthen/repair existed structures [5], or replace steel bars or cables for the construction of new structures [6]. Despite the excellent corrosion resistance of FRPs in harsh environments, FRPs still face durability problems, which are considered to be a key concern for acceptance in some practice [5,7,8]. The durability of FRPs affects the safe and economic design of FRP structures and needs to be studied comprehensively.…”

Effects of Adhesive Coating on the Hygrothermal Aging Performance of Pultruded CFRP Plates

“…It is believed that the water uptake of FRP composites plays a key role in the degradation of their mechanical and thermal properties, especially in water [11,12], alkaline solution (simulation of concrete pore solution) [6,13] and salt solutions (simulation of seawater) [14,15]. Ficker's model [16] and a two-stage model [17] were proposed to simulate the water-uptake behavior of FRP composites [13,[18][19][20].…”