Three-Point Bending Fatigue Behavior of Basalt-carbon-glass/Epoxy Hybrid Composites Under Saltwater Environment

Abstract

Fatigue is a sudden failure of components below the maximum strength of the material when subjected to repeated loading. This paper studies the fatigue behavior of basalt, carbon, and glass fibers/epoxy hybrid composites under three-point flexural loading and a saltwater environment. Five different composite panels were manufactured using the VARTM. The samples were then immersed in a saltwater solution for 60, 120, and 180 days before conducting the tests. Three-point static and fatigue tests were conducted using UTM as per ASTM D7264-07 and ASTM D7774-12. The S-N and stiffness degradation curves were plotted, and the morphology of the fatigue samples was investigated using SEM. In addition, the ion penetration in the solution was detected with ICP-OES analysis. The result shows that bending fatigue properties of all composite samples show a degradation as the immersion period increases. This might be due to micro-hole formation as the ions move from the sample to the saltwater solution.