Comparative study on sand erosion damage and residual strength of GFRP, BFRP, and CFRP composites

Abstract

Wind and sand erosion is a key environmental factor affecting the service life of fiber-reinforced composite materials, but the mechanical degradation mechanisms of different types of composite structures under multi-parameter erosion remain unclear. This study utilized a jet erosion test platform to systematically evaluate the performance evolution of three typical structures—GFRP, BFRP, and CFRP—under varying erosion angles (15°–90°), velocities (16–31 m/s), and durations (10–50 min). The results show that all three undergo damage processes such as resin delamination, fiber exposure, and interlaminar debonding, with 60° being the most prone angle for failure. CFRP exhibits the highest strength retention rate (82%), but the most significant modulus decrease (14.9%); GFRP experiences over a 30% strength reduction under prolonged erosion, while BFRP exhibits strain separation and early instability. Stress-strain and multi-point strain analyses indicate that CFRP maintains deformation consistency after erosion; GFRP exhibits more ductile behavior accompanied by progressive strain bifurcation; while BFRP demonstrates moderate mechanical response with limited strain compatibility. The semi-empirical predictive model constructed further achieved good fitting on all three materials (R² > 0.84), validating its cross-material applicability. The research results provide a theoretical basis for corrosion-resistant design, surface protection, and life prediction of composite structures under complex operating conditions.