LITERATURE REVIEW OF FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER COMPOSITES

Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs) have been used for a variety of structural memberships for chemical plants and airplanes, since they have outstanding performances, such as lightweight and good fatigue properties. To hold the long-term durability and to estimate the residual life of the composites under some hostile environments, it is an important issue to clarify the facture and/or the failure mechanism in each service conditions. Degradation of components made from polymeric materials occurs in a wide variety of environments and service conditions, and very often limits the service lifetime. Degradation occurs as the result of environment-dependent chemical or physical attack, often caused by a combination of degradation agents, and may involve several chemical and mechanical mechanisms. The main concern of this review will be to examine the causes of degradation of polymeric components from the completion of fabrication to ultimate failure.