ABLATION OF THE ORGANIC MATRIX - FUNDAMENTAL RESPONSE OF A PHOTO-AGEDEPOXY-GLASS FIBER-COMPOSITE

A tubular, stratified glass-epoxy material composite is artificially o r naturally photo-aged. For the first time, photochemical removal of t he organic matrix has been measured with precision during photo-ageing with the help of an original technique allowing for the quantificatio n of the morphological evolution on the material surface. During artif icial photo-ageing, the evolution of the erosion rate of the organic m atrix led to the assumption that a thin photo-oxidation reactor establ ished and advanced on the nearby irradiated surface. Whether in a natu ral or artificial environment, the organic matrix decrease in thicknes s evolved linearly with cumulative global exposure energy. The compari sons between natural and artificial evolutions proved that rainfall wa s a major parameter in amplifying the erosion phenomenon. (C) 1997 Els evier Science Limited.