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Environmental effects on glass fiber reinforced polypropylene thermoplastic composite laminate for structural applications
Author(s) -
Robert Mathieu,
Roy René,
Benmokrane Brahim
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
polymer composites
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.577
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1548-0569
pISSN - 0272-8397
DOI - 10.1002/pc.20834
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , glass fiber , durability , polypropylene , tap water , composite number , flexural strength , thermoplastic , scanning electron microscope , relative humidity , physics , environmental engineering , engineering , thermodynamics
This article presents the mechanical and microstructural characterization of glass fiber reinforced polypropylene thermoplastic composite laminates (PP/Glass) exposed to tap water, salt solution, and freeze/thaw cycles. PP/Glass specimens were immersed at 23, 50, and 70°C in tap water to simulate the relative humidity of the direct environment and in a salt solution of 3% NaCl to simulate the effect of de‐icing salt. The measured flexural strengths of the specimens before and after exposure were considered as a measure of the durability performance of the specimens and were used for long‐term properties prediction based on the Arrhenius theory. In addition, the durability of PP/Glass to freeze/thaw cycles was studied for as received specimens and specimens saturated with tap water. Scanning electron microscopy was also used to characterize the effect of aging on the PP/Glass specimens. The results showed that the durability of PP/Glass composite is related to the quality of their consolidation. POLYM. COMPOS., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers