Environmental effects on deformation, strength, and degradation of unidirectional glass‐fiber reinforced plastics. I. Survey

This survey covers the topic of environmental effects on the mechanical behavior of fiber‐reinforced plastics. It deals also with the separate and combined effects of temperature, hygrometry and loading on mechanical characteristics. The response of the phases of the composite‐fiber, the matrix and the interfacial region to the environmental loading history, is discussed. Conflicting hypotheses regarding the causes and mechanism of the degradation process and of the long‐range durability of the composites are examined.