Durability of Pultruded E-Glass/Vinylester under Combined Hygrothermal Exposure and Sustained Bending
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 19, Issue 8
Abstract
The effect of combined water immersion and sustained bending on the degradation response of E-glass/vinylester composites is characterized through mechanical testing (tension and short-beam-shear) and moisture uptake. It is seen that moisture uptake and coefficient of diffusion increase with levels of sustained strain and that uptake characteristics can be predicted with a reasonable level of accuracy using a model incorporating the free volume approach. Both tensile strength and short-beam-shear strength decrease with increasing periods of immersion and level of sustained strain. A transition in degradative response can be identified in terms of level of sustained strain. Comparisons of response with ACI-440 guidelines indicate that the use of stress limitations is essential in specifying design allowables since the use of ACI thresholds involving environmental exposure factors alone may be unconservative for long periods of service. It is emphasized that synergistic effects of sustained bending and water immersion are accelerative and that further research is needed on ascertaining the safe level of sustained loading for use in civil infrastructure.
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Acknowledgments
The writers gratefully acknowledge the support of Hexcel Corporation and the California Department of Transportation.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 19 • Issue 8 • August 2007
Pages: 665 - 673
Copyright
© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Oct 20, 2005
Accepted: Apr 19, 2006
Published online: Aug 1, 2007
Published in print: Aug 2007
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Roberto Lopez-Anido
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