Hygrothermal Studies on GFRP Composites: A Review

The objective of this paper is to review the hygrothermal environment effects on Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) composites. A brief summary of the hygrothermal phenomenon and its mechanisms of GFRP is followed by detailed review of hygrothermal effects on the GFRP. The review also includes the different hygrothermal aging tests viz., cold soaking, boiling soaking, thermal shocks and use of environmental chamber, procedures and significance. At the end, hygrothermal effects on the individual constituents of GFRP viz., fiber, matrix and the fiber-matrix interface, are discussed