Behaviour of photopolymerized silicate glass fibre-reinforced dimethacrylate composites subjected to hydrothermal ageing: part II. Hydrolytic stability of mechanical properties.

The flexural properties and failure morphologies of dimethacrylate-copolymer composites reinforced with either S2-glass or quartz fibres ( approximately 33-66 vol%) were examined after hydrothermal ageing (0-3 mon at 37 degrees C). Initially the S2-glass composites were generally stiffer and stronger than comparably reinforced quartz composites, but within 1 wk the properties of S2-glass composites decreased by 12%-26%. The properties of quartz composites were relatively stable, except for those of composites with the least reinforcement (35 vol%), which decreased by roughly 15%. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that in all composites buckling had occurred at the site of load application. Evidence of good fibre-matrix adhesion was observed for both types of composites under all conditions. Modelling of degradation between 1 wk and 3 mon revealed that: (1) the only temporal change was a slight increase in the stiffness of S2-glass composites; and (2) higher reinforcement levels reduced the retention of strength in S2-glass composites but had the opposite effect (on both properties) for quartz composites (p<0.05). For the most highly reinforced S2-glass composites, susceptibility to degradation was offset by high initial properties; and after ageing (elastic modulus approximately 50 GPa, strength approximately 1.2 GPa), these composites were still, on average, approximately 25% stiffer and 50% stronger than the more hydrostable quartz counterparts. Copyright 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers