| Abstract: | The strength of glass fiber reinforced epoxy resins can be significantly reduced under exposure to moisture. Besides other factors, the interface between fiber and matrix plays an important role. It is responsible for a proper load transfer between fibers and matrix by coupling effects and significantly affects the moisture behavior of the composite. In the present study, glass fibers were treated with different sizes under defined conditions and embedded in three epoxy matrix systems. The composites were exposed to different moisture conditions. The change of the shear and impact behavior due to moisture was determined. It will be shown that the composites with coupling agent treated fibers are significantly more resistant to moisture than composites with poor fiber/matrix adhesion. Furthermore, it will be shown that also the binder plays an important role if the material is subjected to moisture. |
