| AVS 65th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Advanced Surface Engineering Division | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session SE-TuA |
| Session: | Wear, Oxidation and Corrosion Protective Coatings |
| Presenter: | Arash Afshar, Mercer University School of Engineering |
| Authors: | A. Afshar, Mercer University School of Engineering D. Mihut, Mercer University School of Engineering S. Hill, Mercer University School of Engineering |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Polymer composites are good candidates for applications requiring high strength, low weight and corrosion resistance properties. Therefore, they are widely being used in marine, automotive, construction, aerospace industries to name a few. However, the main existing challenge is preventing the degradation of composite materials under prolonged exposure to harsh environmental conditions such as UV radiation and moisture. Composite samples with standardized sizes were exposed to combined UV radiation and moisture in the environmental chamber for different time intervals. Some samples were coated with optically thick metallic materials using high vacuum magnetron sputtering deposition and were later exposed to the same combined environmental conditions. It was observed that metallic coatings improved the surface resistance of the substrate composite materials and protected the mechanical properties throughout the course of exposure. The surface morphology of samples before and after exposure was observed using optical microscopy and the adhesion of metallic layers to the substrates was examined using scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties were also characterized using flexural and hardness tests over the exposure time.