Fatigue resistance of randomly oriented short glass fiber reinforced polyester composite materials immersed in seawater environment

Randomly oriented short fiber mat reinforced polyester composite laminates immersed in natural seawater for various periods were tested in static and cyclic fatigue loading under three-point bending conditions. Water absorption increased the weight of the specimen while the extraction of soluble compounds induces a weak weight loss. Wöhler curves carried out from repetitive fatigue tests were drawn for the different periods of immersion time. These curves, which are characterized by an important and a significant scatter in their lifetime, were modeled by straight lines. These glass-polyester laminates deteriorate in fatigue tests at a constant rate by cycle decade. This rate increases with increasing immersion time in seawater at a constant speed. A comparison between different mathematical models of endurance curves shows that Wöhler's equation gives a good representation of the average part of the curve