Deformation Rate Effect on Compression Behaviour of Glass Fiber-Epoxy Composites Under Seawater Aging

The influence of deformation rates on the material properties of composites is critically important and has been extensively investigated by researchers. However, understanding how increased deformation rates affect the aged composite materials remains essential. This study focuses on the compression behavior of woven S2 glass fiber-epoxy composites at quasi-static deformation rates. The test specimens, produced using the vacuum-assisted resin infusion method, were aged in artificial seawater for durations of 4, 8, and 12 months. Compression tests were conducted on all samples in both longitudinal and through-thickness directions. To examine the deformation rate effect, 2, 4, 6 mm/min speeds were used. The findings reveal that the compression strength of aged composite materials decreased by up to 23.48%, and the modulus of elasticity decreased by up to 5.48%. Conversely, using 6 mm/min test speed resulted in a maximum increase of 12.87% in compression strength and 8.75% in the modulus of elasticity.