Investigation of Accelerated Degradation Methods to Cause Blisters for Non-Defective Vinyl Ester Resin Glass Flake Organic Coatings

Organic coatings are applied as a corrosion prevention measure, but their effectiveness may degrade over time. In this study, the acceleration effects of typical degradation methods in non-defective vinyl ester resin organic coatings containing glass flakes such as high-temperature immersion and immersion in chemical accelerators are clarified using physiochemical techniques. Immersion in an acetic acid (AcOH) aqueous solution causes resin swelling, and the behaviors are quantitatively evaluated through gravimetric, thickness, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. Furthermore, a combined process of immersion in hydrofluoric acid and an AcOH aqueous solution reduces the electrical properties and eventually blisters the thick coating surface. This result suggests that an appropriate combination of the resin swelling and the glass degradation (glass dissolution and/or formation of the gap between glass and resin) decrease mechanical properties of the glass flake coating and causes blisters. In order to help the health diagnosis of the visually non-defective aged glass flake coating, the relationship between the electrical characteristic values and the invisible degradation by accelerated tests is finally indicated.

CFRP Laminates with Recycled Carbon Fiber: Resin Infusion and Mechanical Characterisation

The possibility to produce new components using reclaimed non-woven carbon fabric has been investigated. Being composite waste production increased, different strategies and technologies for recycling are developing to face criticalities and economic aspects related to their disposal. In this scenario, CFRP laminates with recycled carbon fiber and epoxy vinyl ester resin have been fabricated by Resin Infusion under Flexible Tooling (RIFT) and mechanical characterization has been performed to investigate their behavior under tensile, flexural and macro-indentation loads.