Affiliation:
1. Wuhan Second Ship Design and Research Institute
2. Wuhan University of Technology
Abstract
Abstract
The hygrothermal aging of vinylester resin and its carbon fiber fabric reinforced composite structures are examined here, including moisture absorption and the resulting degradation of mechanical properties. The prepared resin casting and CFRP specimens were immersed into the deionized water and artificial seawater, respectively, at a temperature of 70°C, and weighed regularly along with the observation of surface morphologies using SEM and identification of variations in functional groups using FTIR spectrometer. Meanwhile, the mechanical properties of resin and CFRP were checked periodically. The results from gravimetric analysis show that resin immersed in deionized water behaves in non-Fickian diffusion due to strong hydrolysis, while CFRP obeys approximately the Fickian diffusion because of the embedded carbon fiber inhibiting the hydrolysis. The examination of mechanical properties for CFRP reveals that the interlaminar shear strength is influenced by the moisture absorption, with a maximum reduction of 13.5%.
Publisher
Research Square Platform LLC