Physical and water aging of glass fiber-reinforced plastic pipes

A. STOCCHI, A. PELLICANO, J.P. ROSSI, C. BERNAL AND P. MONTEMARTINI

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Conferencia; COMAT 2005; 2005

Glass fiber-reinforced pipes are mostly used in industrial applications that frequently involve contact with fluids which can affect the material mechanical performance. In the particular case of water, it is well established in the literature that it not only interacts with the matrix through plasticization, swelling or hydrolysis, but also attacks the interface between fiber and matrix. The interface is of considerable importance in determining the material mechanical response. Another process which can affect service performance is physical aging. Since the service temperature is lower than the glass transition temperature of the matrix, pipes are not in thermodynamic equilibrium. During the gradual approach to equilibrium polymers properties are influenced. Although many studies have been done concerning the effect of different aging conditions on the mechanical behavior of composite materials, many questions are still unresolved. In the present work, physical and water aging of glass/epoxy composite pipes used for oil transport were investigated focusing in its effect on the flexural and impact behavior. Different aging conditions were selected to simulate in-service environments.