Evaluation of Glass and Basalt Fiber Reinforcements for Polymer Composite Pressure Piping

Pressure piping made from fiber-reinforced polymer composites is becoming increasingly popular. This development is driven by the need for lighter and more corrosion resistant components. Compared with traditional metallic structures, composites may satisfy these requirements without compromising strength or cost-effectiveness. The field of composite materials engineering is evolving rapidly, and new analysis and processing methods, as well as material systems, are continually emerging. The present contribution focuses on fiber reinforcements and their performance in pressurized tubular structures. Recently, basalt fiber has gained in popularity and in many cases has been considered an alternative to conventional fiber materials such as E- and S-glasses for composite piping. An investigation was conducted on the performance of basalt, E-glass, and S-glass reinforcements employing uniaxial tensile test rods and tubular samples. Specimens were produced by wet filament winding using a common thermoset epoxy polymer. In addition to rod sample rupture strength, the failure behavior and strength of tube specimens were assessed for leakage and bursting under different biaxial loading conditions. Two different methodologies for the assessment of leakage failures were described and discussed. Based on the experimental findings the performance of the various fiber reinforcements was evaluated.