Aging Characteristics of Glass Fabric/Phenolic Composites for Tilting Train Using Accelerated Aging Tester

Aging characteristics of glass fabric/phenolic composites for tilting train subjected to combined environmental aging factors were investigated. A 2.5KW accelerated aging tester with a xenon-arc lamp was used to provide environmental aging factors such as temperature, moisture, and ultraviolet. A series of aging tests were conducted up to 3000 hours and several types of specimens were prepared along the warp direction and the fill direction. Mechanical degradations for tensile, flexural, and shear properties were evaluated as a function of exposure times through a material testing system. Thermal analysis properties such as storage shear modulus, loss shear modulus, and tan 3 were measured through a dynamic mechanical analyzer. Finally exposed surfaces of the composites were examined using a scanning electron microscope. According to the experimental results, mechanical properties and thermal analysis properties of glass fabric/phenolic composites were found to be slightly degraded as a function of exposure times due to combined environmental effects.