Effect of seawater ageing with different temperatures and concentrations on static/dynamic mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites

The aim of this paper was to investigate the static/dynamic mechanical properties and failure mechanism of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites (CFRP) in seawater environments. The prepared specimens were immersed in artificial seawater with different temperatures and NaCl concentrations for 7 months. Quasi-static tensile and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) tests were carried out to evaluate the tensile and damping properties. Ageing damage and fracture morphology were observed by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) technology. The results show that tensile strength was sensitive to ageing time and environmental temperature but non-sensitive to NaCl concentration. In addition, the failure mode was changed.