Effect of environmental conditions on the mechanical properties of composite tubes

Abstract

Composite tubes are materials with a high strength-to-weight ratio. However, they can be exposed to hot and humid environmental conditions in working conditions. For this reason, the response of composite tubes to mechanical loading under environmental conditions should be investigated. In this study, the effect of hydrothermal aging on the tangential tensile strength of glass/epoxy and basalt/epoxy composite tube samples was investigated. After the samples were kept in distilled water at 70°C for 500 hours, hardness and hoop tensile tests were performed.