Accelerated environmental aging effects in structural integrity of licuri fiber reinforced plastics

The gradual replacement of conventional materials with composite materials has become a concern due to their response to adverse environmental conditions, such as ultraviolet radiation, high temperature, and humidity. In this context, composite laminate using ortho-terephthalic polyester resin as matrix, reinforced with two layers of unidirectional woven licuri fiber, was submitted to accelerated environmental aging in order to study the influence of environmental degradation on mechanical properties, morphology, and fracture characteristics. Age-related morphological degradation of composite laminate was studied based on microscopic analysis of the microstructure and mass loss. In general, the licuri fiber reinforced plastics exhibited certain advantages in its responses to environmental aging. These advantages are evident in behavior related to photo-oxidation and microstructure degradation. Losses were recorded in the mechanical properties of the aged laminate when compared to the original condition; h...