Insight into the Experimental Exploration of GFRP Composite Pipes with and without Zinc Borate

This study investigates the influence of 5%, 10%, and 15% zinc borate filler materials in glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) pipe. The filament-wound composite pipes were fabricated and subjected to compression tests of both the axial and radial setups. Axial and radial compression tests were conducted to evaluate the pipe load-bearing capacity, stiffness, and buckling behavior under different loading orientations. Low-velocity impact tests are performed to evaluate the pipes’ resistance to impact loading and their ability to withstand energy absorption without catastrophic failure. The internal pressure and burst leakage failure of the glass fiber-reinforced pipes enabled with zinc borate were tested using hydrostatic testing. Fractography analysis was performed using scanning electron microscopy to examine the delamination, fiber breakage, damage debonding, and cracks. The influence of 10% by weight zinc borate exhibited higher compression strength (106.53 MPa), crush force efficiency (0.76), specific energy absorption (5.31), and resistance to deformation on impact compared to the unfilled glass fiber-reinforced pipe.