Resin properties, such as heat deflection temperature (HDT) and tensile elongation, can affect composite lifetime under conditions of sustained stress at various temperatures in an aqueous environment. Measurement of time to failure of unidirectional glass fiber reinforced composite rods comprising E-glass fiber strands and one of a series of isopolyester resins suggests a correlation between stress, time to failure, and the temperature differential between the resin HDT and the exposure temperature. Time to failure decreases significantly at moderate relative stress as the temperature differential (HDT – exposure temperature) becomes less than 10 °C.
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