Effects of water absorption on the mechanical properties of GFRPs

This study reports on the effects of water absorption on the anisotropic mechanical response of an epoxy resin reinforced with E-glass fibres. Composite specimens were conditioned by immersion in pure water at 50 °C for different time durations, up to full saturation. Water-saturation resulted in reduction of stiffness and strength, in the range of strain rate 0.001–700s−1. Experiments on re-dried specimens after water saturation showed a...