Abstract: | Crack Initiation in Glass Fibres Under the Influence of Chemical Environment and High Temperature Specific interactions between chemical environments (distilled water, hydrochloric acid, and sulfuric acid) and the glass fibre generate stress corrosion cracking in the glass fibre surface. The etching of glass fibre effects either axial or spiral cracks in the glass fibre surface. These effects depend on the fibre diameter, the etching time and the chemical environment. Crack initiation generates a drop of tensile stresses. At least the glass fibre crumbles with increasing etching time. The reasons for this phenomenon are residual stresses in the glass fibre. Therefore it is necessary to know something about residual stresses. Strict etching procedures lead to definite crack structures in glass fibres and should indicate the kind of residual stresses in connection with strength tests. |