Effect of Seawater Ageing on Fracture Toughness of Stitched Glass Fiber/Epoxy Laminates for Marine Applications

Composite materials are used in various industries such as marine, aircraft, automotive, etc. In marine applications, composites exposed to seawater, which can affect their mechanical properties due moisture absorption. This work focuses on the durability of composite under short-term effect seawater ageing. The specimens were prepared from glass fiber/epoxy using a hand lap-up method and stitched z-direction with Kevlar fiber. submerged for 24 35 days. A significant decrease maximum load was found specimen immersion time increased. ageing also affected fracture toughness reduction 30% days 55% caused swelling absorption, increased weight specimens. Compared dry specimens, increases 5.2% 7.89% days’ analysis showed that ageing, de-bonding rate number