Abstract
Composites used in infrastructure and structural applications can be exposed to environmental conditions initiating degradation in the composite due to stress, UV radiation, moisture and chemical effects. Combined exposure of UV radiation and sea water creates synergistic degradation, and is generated from cyclic exposure to the individual conditions. Here, three separate exposure systems are used to age carbon fiber-reinforced vinylester composites: UV radiation, salt spray, and humidity environmental chambers; full sample immersion in salt and sea water conditions; and outdoor exposure in a tidal pond. Characterization of the time-dependent changes in the mechanical strength and modulus of the coupons is performed for each environment and IR spectroscopy is used to assess chemical changes in the vinylester matrix. Comparison between the conditions will be discussed in the context of long-term outdoor exposure with accelerated laboratory conditions.
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Acknowledgements
The authors respectfully acknowledge the support from Drs. Yapa D.S. Rajapakse and Airan J. Perez from the Office of Naval Research through grant #N000141110816.
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© 2014 The Society for Experimental Mechanics, Inc.
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Korach, C.S., Afshar, A., Liao, HT., Chiang, Fp. (2014). Comparison of Sea Water Exposure Environments on the Properties of Carbon Fiber Vinylester Composites. In: Antoun, B., et al. Challenges In Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials and Processes in Conventional and Multifunctional Materials, Volume 2. Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00852-3_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00852-3_15
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