Studying the Hygrothermal Effects on the Impact Responses of Composite Materials Under Various Environmental Conditions

The current study focuses on the effects of different weather conditions, including temperature and humidity, on the impact energy properties of composite materials tested using a Charpy impact tester connected to a special hygro-thermal device. This is a unique device, handcrafted and equipped with sensors and control panels The composite materials, used in this study, combine polyester and reinforced with fiberglass in various shapes and loadings. Nanopowder materials including titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO2) and aluminum oxide nanoparticles (Al2O3) were also added to the composite materials and their effects were assessed. The obtained results showed that all the different factors studied in this research have a positive effect on the impact test, except the nanomaterials in both cases (Al2O3 and TiO2 nanopowders) at 2 wt.% of the sample and at approximately 10 wt.%. Hence, at this percentage, there is not enough effect on the impact energy