PSI - Issue 64

ScienceDirect Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2023) 000 – 000 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2023) 000 – 000 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Procedia Structural Integrity 64 (2024) 81–88

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SMAR 2024 – 7th International Conference on Smart Monitoring, Assessment and Rehabilitation of Civil Structures Durability of GFRP Composites Produced by Pultrusion under Thermal Environments Omid Hassanshahi a , Marco Jorge a , José Sena-Cruz a, *, Luís Correia a , Cláudio Leite a , Tarikul Hasan b , João Ramôa Correia b , Mário Garrido b , Susana Cabral-Fonseca c a ISISE/ARISE, University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal b CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal c Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil, 1700-066 Lisboa, Portugal Abstract Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have gained popularity in civil structural applications due to their advantages over traditional materials. Despite their proven better performance in harsh conditions, FRP composites are susceptible to degradation due to various environmental agents; moreover, the lack of durability data for relatively thick laminates produced by pultrusion is a concern. To address this, in the scope of the Durable-FRP project, an extensive experimental program was conducted to assess the durability of thick FRP laminates produced by pultrusion, consisting of glass fibres and unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resin matrices, subjected to accelerated laboratory ageing and in-situ natural weathering. This paper presents preliminary results from durability tests on such glass-FRP (GFRP) laminates under particular thermal ageing environments, including constant temperatures of -15 °C, 20 °C, 40 °C, and 60 °C for a period over 12 months, as well as 100 and 200 thermal cycles between -15 °C and 60 °C. Following environmental exposure, the degradation of mechanical properties was evaluated using various tests, including tension (in both longitudinal and transverse directions), compression, flexure, in-plane shear, and interlaminar shear. In general, minor mechanical degradation was observed, except in terms of transverse tensile strength (resin-dominated) following constant exposure to extreme temperatures, with minimum property retentions of 74% and 83% at -15 °C, for vinyl ester and unsaturated polyester matrices, respectively. SMAR 2024 – 7th International Conference on Smart Monitoring, Assessment and Rehabilitation of Civil Structures Durability of GFRP Composites Produced by Pultrusion under Thermal Environments Omid Hassanshahi a , Marco Jorge a , José Sena-Cruz a, *, Luís Correia a , Cláudio Leite a , Tarikul Hasan b , João Ramôa Correia b , Mário Garrido b , Susana Cabral-Fonseca c a ISISE/ARISE, University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal b CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal c Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil, 1700-066 Lisboa, Portugal Abstract Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have gained popularity in civil structural applications due to their advantages over traditional materials. Despite their proven better performance in harsh conditions, FRP composites are susceptible to degradation due to various environmental agents; moreover, the lack of durability data for relatively thick laminates produced by pultrusion is a concern. To address this, in the scope of the Durable-FRP project, an extensive experimental program was conducted to assess the durability of thick FRP laminates produced by pultrusion, consisting of glass fibres and unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resin matrices, subjected to accelerated laboratory ageing and in-situ natural weathering. This paper presents preliminary results from durability tests on such glass-FRP (GFRP) laminates under particular thermal ageing environments, including constant temperatures of -15 °C, 20 °C, 40 °C, and 60 °C for a period over 12 months, as well as 100 and 200 thermal cycles between -15 °C and 60 °C. Following environmental exposure, the degradation of mechanical properties was evaluated using various tests, including tension (in both longitudinal and transverse directions), compression, flexure, in-plane shear, and interlaminar shear. In general, minor mechanical degradation was observed, except in terms of transverse tensile strength (resin-dominated) following constant exposure to extreme temperatures, with minimum property retentions of 74% and 83% at -15 °C, for vinyl ester and unsaturated polyester matrices, respectively. Keywords: Pultruded GFRP composites, Durability, Thermal Ageing, Mechanical properties © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of SMAR 2024 Organizers

Keywords: Pultruded GFRP composites, Durability, Thermal Ageing, Mechanical properties

* Corresponding author. E-mail address: jose.sena-cruz@civil.uminho.pt

2452-3216 © 2024 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of SMAR 2024 Organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2024.09.214 2452-3216 © 2024 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of SMAR 2024 Organizers 2452-3216 © 2024 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of SMAR 2024 Organizers * Corresponding author. E-mail address: jose.sena-cruz@civil.uminho.pt