Environmental effects on glass fiber reinforced polypropylene thermoplastic composite laminate for structural applications

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