Mechanical degradation of carbon fiber/vinyl ester samples subject to marine environments

The paper deals with the mechanical degradation of composite material components in seawater at room temperature. In particular, this study compares quasi-static and dynamic behaviour of carbon fiber/vinyl ester components, dry and water saturated in a saline environment at 3% to simulate the seawater exposition. At this regard, short-beam shear, flexural and low-velocity impact tests were systematically performed before and after the conditioning of the material under examination. Finally, the damage of the impacted specimens was carefully analyzed by visual inspections and ultrasound investigations. Despite a very low water absorption, the analyses allow to highlight different phenomena, reflecting on variations in the mechanical properties and in the extent of the damage of the investigated samples.