Effects of Hydrothermal Aging on Mechanical Behavior of Sub-zero Weathered GFRP Composites

Abstract

Sub-zero weathered GFRP (glass fiber reinforced plastics) composites were aged in water at 60oC for different conditioning times to study fluid sorption kinetics under the influence of a thermal gradient. The effect of subsequent freezing of the conditioned samples on the retention of prior thermal history has been investigated. The variation in mechanical properties during the aging process was studied. One batch of the hydrothermally conditioned specimens was further subjected to sub-zero treatment at –20oC temperature. The samples which were subsequently frozen showed higher interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) initially, although this trend was reversed after a certain conditioning period. Thus, the present study aims to evaluate the mechanical behavior of polymer composites under the influence of extreme and complex conditions.