Environmental effects on mode II fracture toughness of unidirectional E-glass/vinyl ester laminated composites

In this article, mode II fracture toughness ( G IIc {G}_{\text{IIc}} ) of unidirectional E-glass/vinyl ester composites subjected to sulfuric acid aging is studied at two different temperatures (25 and 90°C). Specimens were manufactured using the hand lay-up method with the [ 0 ] 20 {{[}0]}_{20} stacking sequence. To study the effects of environmental conditions, samples were exposed to 30 wt% sulfuric acid at room temperature (25°C) for 0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks. Some samples were also placed in the same solution but at 90°C and for 3, 6, 9, and 12 days to determine the interlaminar fracture toughness at different aging conditions. Fracture tests were conducted using end notched flexure (ENF) specimens according to ASTM D7905. The results obtained at 25°C showed that mode II fracture toughness increases for the first 2 weeks of aging and then it decreases for the last 8 weeks. It was also found that the flexural modulus changes with the same trend. Based on the results of the specimens aged at 90°C, a sharp drop in fracture toughness and flexural modulus with a significant decrease in maximum load have been observed due to the aging. Finite element simulations were performed using the cohesive zone model (CZM) to predict the global response of the tested beams.