Mechanical properties of glass/epoxy composites under artificial seawater environment: Numerical simulation and experimental validation

In ocean engineering applications, glass fiber reinforced composite materials undergo degradation over time due to various aging processes. Accurately assessing the mechanical properties of these materials as they experience aging conditions in marine environment becomes a crucial factor. Although various approaches, such as experimental, theoretical, or finite element methods (FEM), have been employed to investigate the impact of aging processes on composite materials, limited attention has been given to examining the damage of composite plates under the exposure of artificial seawater environments using the MAT162 material model. The objective of this study is to outline a methodology for identifying a group of MAT162 parameters in LS-DYNA through a unit single element analysis. S2 glass/epoxy composites were produced by vacuum assisted resin infusion method. Aging was carried out in artificial seawater environment for 4, 8 and 12 months. Tensile, through thickness tensile, compression, through thickness compression tests were performed and then the finite element modeling was conducted. Maximum strength (X_1T, X_1C, X_3T and S_FC), element eroding axial strain (E_LIMT), modulus of elasticity (E₁ = E₂, E₃), scale factor for residual compressive strength (SFFC), coefficient for strain softening property (AM) parameters were analyzed. It was determined that the proposed model for aging was in good agreement with the experimental study.