Thermoplastic Composite Laminate for Structural Applications

摘要

This article presents the mechanical and microstruc-tural 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.