The investigation of hardness and density properties of GFRP composite pipes under seawater conditions

Glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite pipes are mostly used in transmission lines of submarine oil, natural gas, and chemical fluids. The alterations in mechanical characteristics of composite pipes used in submarine applications are of great importance to the lifespan of the material. Some important mechanical properties of composite materials are density and hardness value. In this study, the changes in the density and hardness values of GFRP composite pipes which were unexposed to seawater and exposed to seawater for 1, 2 and 3 months were investigated. As a result of the present study, it was deduced that the characteristics of the sample changed with the effect of seawater.