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The ongoing need for lightweight, corrosion-resistant, low-maintenance structures in environmentally challenging applications in renewable energy (e.g., wind turbines) has led to an increased use of advanced polymer composites. Despite their evident advantages, there are technical challenges that the sector needs to solve to maximise their benefits and increase their uptake and sustainable use, e.g., a validated methodology for the way composites age environmentally and how their properties change with time under realistic synergetic conditions is yet to be established. This project will contribute to the development of such a methodology by developing and validating predictive modelling tools through realistic (i.e., application-informed) lab-based accelerated ageing experiments, considering appropriate degradation mechanisms, and most importantly, demonstrating the approach for cases of mechanical loading with the synergetic presence of high humidity environments. The research will initially focus on defining an appropriate accelerated ageing strategy and in-depth investigation of the degradation mechanisms.

The boundaries of the accelerated approach will be drawn, and the experimentally obtained datasets will provide the basis for validation of a numerical tool for predicting the lifetime of composites when more than one synergetic degradation agents are acting on the material. The research work aligns with EPSRC’s Engineering Net Zero strategic priority under the Advanced Materials theme. The outputs will provide the means to increase efficiency across all greenhouse gas emitting, resource consuming, and polluting systems and sectors that utilise advanced composites.