Long Term Durability of Composites in Marine Environment: Comparative Study of Fatigue Behavior

For marine applications, composite materials offer many advantages over metallic structures, with respect to ease of fabrication of complex profiles or light weight for installation and maintenance. Nevertheless, material selection is critical. In the case of a composite material, the choice of reinforcement is important if stress corrosion is to be avoided, while resin chemistry must be optimized to limit matrix damage. Fiber/matrix interface properties are also critical when composites are immersed for long periods. The main objective of this study is to identify and quantify the influence of the specific environmental marine conditions on composite material behavior, especially in cyclic loading. In order to perform a comparative study of fatigue behavior, three composite materials have been tested and analyzed. Fatigue tests have been carried out in bending on composite materials at initial state and after sea water ageing. The fatigue life and the evolution of the damage have been compared for each material. These experimental data allow us to identify and compare the fatigue behavior of several composite materials in a marine environment.