INVESTIGATION OF THE MOISTURE ABSORPTION BEHAVIOR OF GFRP EXPOSED TO MARINE ENVIRONMENT AND THE DEGRADATION OF ITS INTERLAMINAR SHEAR PROPERTIES
- 1. Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
- 2. Petrobras, Research and Development Center
Description
An innovative type of repair for offshore steel pipelines is adhesively-bonded laminate composite owing to its low self-weight and ease of manufacturing. However, it is of ultimate importance to monitor the degradation of the composite materials exposed to saltwater aging, provided that water molecules can diffuse into the polymer and along the fiber/matrix interface, leading to matrix plasticization, delamination and debonding. To study the moisture absorption of polymer composites, a laminated epoxy-matrix composite reinforced with bidirectional woven glass fibers was employed. The samples were subjected to accelerated salt spray aging at 35°C, 55°C, and 70°C with 5.0wt% NaCl diluted in water, followed by interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) tests to assess the mechanical degradation with time. It was seen from the experimental tests that temperature accelerates not only the moisture uptake, but also property degradation.