Effects of Seawater Immersion on Mechanical Properties of CFRP Composites

Water absorption behavior and mechanical properties variation of the carbon fiber reinforced epoxy matrix composites (CFRP) immersed into artificial seawater were investigated by experiments. The rate of water absorption of the composite specimens is gradually reducing as the duality of immersion increasing. Due to the reversible and irreversible changes in the resin matrix and the failure of the fiber/matrix interface, the tensile strength, the flexural strength, and the ILSS of the composite specimens after 70 days immersion decreased 9.3%, 13%, and 17% respectively. And the tensile modulus and the flexural modulus the specimens after desorption were 83% and 70% of the original state, respectively