NON-DESTRUCTIVE ASSESSMENT OF PROPERTIES OF PULTRUDED GFRP SUBJECT TO HYGROTHERMAL AGING

Despite having great weather resistance, glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) degradation was observed after years of exposure in the field. The use of non-destructive tests shows a good alternative to evaluate the integrity of this material. Thus, this work used free vibration tests through frequency response to detect damage in GFRP aged in chambers with controlled temperature, humidity and salinity. Through the evaluation of the natural frequencies, the impact of environmental conditions on the integrity of the material was observed.