A comparative study of the uniform corrosion resistance of different glass-fibre-types in acid and alkaline environments at different concentrations and temperatures

A comparative study of the uniform corrosion resistance of different glass-fibre types including E-glass, C-glass, boron-free E-glass and alkali-resistant (AR) glass to acid and alkaline environments at different concentrations and temperatures has been carried out. The stress corrosion resistance of the corresponding unidirectional and chopped strand mat laminates has also been studied. It was shown that the corrosion resistance of the glass fibres differed strongly both in acid and alkaline environments and that the stress-corrosion properties of the corresponding laminates seemed to be closely related to the uniform corrosion resistance of the fibres. Structural laminates made of standard E-glass fibre may readily fail due to stress corrosion cracking even at strains below the commonly used design level of 0.2%. In contrast, acid-stress-corrosion failure of laminates made with AR-glass fibre was not observed, either at room or at elevated temperatures. The performance and the reliability of FRP components used in aggressive environments can be significantly improved by the choice of a stress-corrosion-resistant glass fibre.