High temperature acidic stress corrosion of glass fibre composites: Part I Effect of fibre type

The stress corrosion characteristics of uniaxial glass fibre reinforced thermosetting resin composites have been examined in hydrochloric acid at 80°C. A simple technique based on linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) is presented for characterizing crack growth in these materials subjected to hostile acidic environments. The environmental stress corrosion cracking is investigated both for different types of resin and different types of glass fibre reinforcements. Two matrices were used: DERAKANE* 411-45 epoxy vinyl ester resin (based on Bisphenol-A epoxy resin) and DERAKANE 470-30 epoxy vinyl ester resin (based on epoxidized novolac resin). Two glass fibre types were employed: standard E-glass fibre and ECRGLAS®, a special type of E-glass with superior acid resistance. Model experiments using a modified double cantilever beam test with static loading have been carried out on unidirectional composite specimens in 1 M hydrochloric acid solution at 80°C. The rate of crack growth in the specimen depends on the applied stress, the temperature and the environment. Consequently, the lifetime of a component or structure made from glass fibre reinforced plastics (GRP) subjected to stress corrosion conditions, could be predicted provided the dependence of crack growth rate on stress intensity at the crack tip is known. Scanning electron microscope studies of the specimen fracture surfaces have identified the characteristic failure mechanisms. The most important finding of this work is that the selection of DERAKANE epoxy vinyl ester resins reinforced with ECRGLAS® fibre exhibited superior resistance to crack growth at 80°C compared to similar E-glass reinforced composites at room temperatures.