Glass fiber/epoxy (GF/E) composites are being extensively scaled-up as anti-corrosion materials in chemical industries because of the relatively low-cost, and are easy to manufacture. Nonetheless, Glass fiber/epoxy composites are not entirely immune to corrosion when exposed to dilute acidic solutions due to the reduction in mechanical strength caused by swelling, which adversely affects the structural integrity. Mathematical correlations quantifying the stress and mechanical property reduction with the time of exposure are a tool to design the service life. The composite structure has been monitored throughout its service life in the present study, by instrumenting the GF/E composite with distributed optical fiber sensors (DOFS). The instrumented composites along with test specimens are aged in aqueous 10 % sulphuric acid environment at room temperature to measure the mechanical properties and weight gain due to the transport of the acidic medium. The strain evolution with the time of exposure is recorded by processing the signals received from the DOFS. The experimental gravimetric data are fitted into the Langmuir model, and the model parameters such as diffusivity (D), β and γ are evaluated. Finally, mathematical correlations developed by quantifying the stress and reduction in mechanical properties with exposure time can be used to determine the mechanical health of GF/E composite structure exposed to sulphuric acid solutions. The changes in the microstructure of GF/E composites is also investigated using field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The technique of instrumenting the GF/E composites by embedding it in the composite structure during the fabrication process is also developed.

玻璃纤维/环氧树脂 (GF/E) 复合材料由于成本相对较低且易于制造，因此被广泛用作化学工业中的防腐材料。尽管如此，由于膨胀导致机械强度降低，玻璃纤维/环氧树脂复合材料在暴露于稀酸性溶液时并非完全不受腐蚀，这会对结构完整性产生不利影响。量化应力和机械性能随暴露时间降低的数学相关性是设计使用寿命的工具。在本研究中，通过使用分布式光纤传感器 (DOFS) 对 GF/E 复合材料进行检测，对复合材料结构的整个使用寿命进行了监测。将仪器化复合材料与试样一起在室温下在 10% 硫酸水溶液环境中老化，以测量由于酸性介质的传输而导致的机械性能和重量增加。通过处理从 DOFS 接收到的信号，记录随暴露时间的应变演变。将实验测重数据拟合到Langmuir模型中，并对扩散系数(D)、β和γ等模型参数进行评估。最后，通过量化应力和机械性能随暴露时间的降低而开发的数学相关性可用于确定暴露于硫酸溶液的 GF/E 复合结构的机械健康状况。还使用场发射扫描电子显微镜 (FE-SEM) 研究了 GF/E 复合材料微观结构的变化。