Synergistic effects of environmental deterioration on fatigue and flexure properties of glass fiber reinforced polymeric (GFRP) composites : a multiscale and multiphysics model.

Abstract

This study aims to simulate synergistic UV & moisture deterioration and demonstrate its role in changing the residual fatigue and flexure strength in architectural GFRP composite material. This study develops an experimentally validated 3D Multiphysics model at a structural level and gets this homogenization-based model to identify the degradation mechanisms observed in the experimental data. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to investigate the effect of mesh density on the accuracy of functions homogenized from micromechanical models. In addition, this macroscale model also quantifies how these degradation mechanisms weaken the strength and durability of environmentally aged composite materials. The aging-fatigue-bend macroscale model assumes that the degradation-induced damage field is concentrated within a depth to the plate surface. According to the computational results, the degradation process caused by the combined effect of UV and moisture exposure involves the removal of polymeric matter from the exposed surface. In other words, the degradation mechanism of UV exposure involves both the chemical alteration and mechanical damage of polymeric matter, primarily located at the exposed surface. This model can be incorporated into many commercial finite element codes for a sustainability study of composite structures/systems. In future work, the models developed in this study will be combined with life cycle assessment (LCA) tools to support better sustainability-focused new material design, thus reducing costs and environmental impacts in the built environment.