Behavior of FRP composites is both time and temperature dependent. Long term behavior of FRP composites is affected by factors like temperature, moisture, dynamic service loads, creep, ultraviolet (UV) radiation etc., either in isolation or in association of more than one of these factors. For a required design life of 15-50 years of these materials, it is not practical to perform tests on either materials or structures for very long periods to cover the design lifetime. Therefore, there is a strong need for accelerated lifetime characterization methodologies which can predict the degradation of FRP composite materials in order to assure the integrity and safety of structural components. Since the nanophased composites are of recent origin and have shown tremendous advantages in terms of strength and stiffness, it is very much essential to understand their durability issues before they can be used with confidence in structural application. Hence, this investigation was focused on characterization of physical and mechanical degradation of E-glass/epoxy composites infused with 1-2 wt(percent) nanoclay. The E-glass/epoxy composites were fabricated using vacuum assisted resin infusion molding (VARIM) process and the specimens were exposed to two different conditions: 1. Exposure to UV radiation only and, 2. Sequential exposure to UV radiation and condensation. Under each condition, specimens was exposed to 120 (five days), 240 (ten days) and 360 hrs (15 days). The conditioned samples were tested for their compressive properties under static and high strain rate loading conditions. Surface morphologies of the samples before and after the exposure were characterized through scanning electron and optical microscopy. It was seen that nanophased samples had lower degradation due to UV radiation and condensation.
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