Failure pressure and impact response of glass-epoxy pipes exposed to seawater

In this paper, the effect of seawater on failure pressure and impact behaviors of polymer-matrix composites (PMCs) was investigated, experimentally. E-glass fiber and epoxy resin-based composite pipes consist of six layers with +/- 55 degrees winding angle. The composite pipes were manufactured using filament winding technique. Test samples, dry and immersed in artificial seawater having salinity about 3.5% during 3, 6 and 9 months (according to ASTM D1141) in laboratory, were subjected to static pressure tests before and after impact test. Tests were carried out to determine reduction in failure pressure at room temperature. The test results were compared with those of non-impacted and dry condition samples to study the variation of the residual failure pressures at different impact energies and environmental cases. Results show that the seawater and transverse impact have significant effects on the failure pressures of the composite pipes. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.