Failure analysis of glass fiber and basalt fiber reinforced polymer composites under an extreme environment with high‐temperature, high‐pressure and H2S/CO2 exposure

AbstractFiber‐reinforced polymers composites (FRPs) are widely used in the industrial field, but their failure mechanism in extreme environments is usually unclear. In this work, the effect of high‐temperature, high‐pressure and H2S/CO2 extreme environment, similar to oil and gas field conditions, on raw fibers and unidirectional FRPs was investigated. The results showed that the glass fibers (GFs) suffered extensive degradation with the presence of metal sulfides in the precipitate, whereas basalt fibers (BFs) showed localized degradation. The flexural modulus of glass fiber reinforced polymer composite (GFRP) after degradation decreased by 28.8% compared to 25.6% for the basalt fiber reinforced polymer composite (BFRP). The interlaminar shear strength and flexural strength of the BFRP decreased by 20.3% and 24.7% respectively. In contrast, the GFRP had a reduction of 55.2% in flexural strength after degradation. Finite element method (FEM) analysis showed that the GFRP exhibited severe cohesive interface damage, while the primary failure mode of BFRP remained essentially unchanged with a combination of fiber damage and cohesive interface damage. This study confirms the superior degradation resistance of BF/BFRP over GF/GFRP in the simulated environment and highlights its promising application potential in oil and gas field service.Highlights Filament winding was used to fabricate the GFRP and BFRP. Revealed distinct surface morphology changes in GFs and BFs under simulated oil and gas field conditions. Superior degradation resistance of BFRP over GFRP was found in the extreme environment. Demonstrated superior chemical stability and mechanical properties of BFRP over GFRP. Used FEM to investigate the failure modes of FRPs before and after exposure.