Solution Uptake in Cylindrical Carbon-Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) Tendons

Salt water exposure conditions relevant to carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) prestressed concrete structures in marine environments are investigated. The diffusion into relatively small diameter CFRP tendons can be a lengthy process so the prediction of the long-term moisture uptake using short-term experiments on thin films of epoxy would be advantageous. However, the fibre inclusions within a composite introduce complexities, and factors are typically required for correlation with pure epoxy specimens. Diffusion parameters based on moisture uptake result from CFRP tendons exposed to salt water solution at 20°C and 60°C are compared with those obtained using equivalent thin film specimens. The higher temperature is selected to accelerate the moisture uptake. It is found that the measured ratios of tendon and epoxy diffusivity were temperature dependent, and the combination of the higher temperature and salt solution leads to an increased propensity for moisture uptake in the tendon. Existing analytical models to predict the CFRP tendon diffusivity from that of a thin film of epoxy did not appear to capture the observed trends. However, predictions using a unit cell with a fibre interface zone suggest that this may be due to an increased diffusivity in the interphase region.