Acid Resistance of Glass Fibre Composites with Different Layup Sequencing: Part I-Diffusion Studies

Abstract

The effects of sulphuric acid concentration and the sequential layup of glass fibre reinforcements on the diffusion behaviour of glass epoxy composite laminates were studied. In all, composites of six different resin systems viz., general purpose polyester, bis phenol-A polyester, vinyl ester, LY 556 epoxy, and MY 750 epoxy resins, reinforced with different layup sequencing consisting of chopped strand mat (CSM) and woven roving mat (WR) were exposed to sulphuric acid environments of different concentrations.

The results of the study indicated that isophthalic polyester resin exhibited maximum resistance to sulphuric acid while general purpose polyester resin performed relatively inferior. The diffusion phenomenon became anamalous as the concentration of the sulphuric acid increased. Among the layup sequences considered, composite specimens with CSM as the skin layers exhibited higher weight gain than those with WR as the skin layers.

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