Damage accumulation and lifetime prediction of woven GFRP under constant tensile load test in hydrochloric acid solution

Constant tensile load tests of woven glass fiber reinforced plastics were conducted in air, in deionized water and in hydrochloric acid at 40°C. The delayed fracture occurred in both solutions but did not occur in air in the range of this research. The fracture time decreased with the increase in the applied stress and was shorter in hydrochloric acid than in deionized water. The resin adhesion on the glass fiber surface decreased with the increasing test time and the fracture surface of the glass fiber flattened with the decrease of the applied stress. These transitions in the fracture surfaces exhibit the strength degradation of the glass fiber and the fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion, i.e. the constituents of GFRP. The fracture time of the woven GFRP was predicted based on the assumption of the global load sharing (GLS).