Study on the Ultraviolet Aging Performance of Biaxial Glass Fiber Reinforced Composites With Thermoplastic Polymethyl Methacrylate

ABSTRACT To address the challenges of poor degradability and limited recyclability in traditional epoxy‐based composites, the fabrication of recyclable thermoplastic poly(methyl methacrylate)/biaxial glass fiber (PMMA/GF) composites was investigated and the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on their mechanical performance was evaluated. The mechanical performance of the biaxial PMMA/GF composites, which were manufactured with the vacuum infusion process, was compared with the conventional epoxy‐based counterparts; the results indicated that the flexural strength and interlaminar shear strength were improved by 24.24% and 9.96%, respectively. UV aging tests were conducted using an artificial accelerated method, and the results showed that the appropriate ultraviolet irradiation could induce a post‐polymerization effect in PMMA/GF composites, and after 960 h of UV exposure, the tensile strength and interlaminar shear strength of the PMMA/GF samples decreased by 16.75% and 20.38%, respectively, relative to the maximum values. Based on the equivalent radiation quality method, the UV aging life prediction model for PMMA/GF composites was proposed, and the service lifetimes under different strength retention rates were investigated.