Chemical and corrosion resistance of composites

To corrode means to eat away, to attack chemically and by various aggressive media such as water, oxygen which rusts steel and iron, chemical agents and the environment.

This term essentially concerns metals, which must be protected in one way or another (coatings, paints, etc.) against corrosion.

Some reinforced plastics (based on polyesters, vinylesters or epoxies) are highly resistant to this type of corrosion.

Wood and reinforced concrete can also be degraded by various aggressive environments (salts, chemicals in the case of concrete, micro-organisms and insects in the case of wood).

By a logical extension, we will also study the replacement of these traditional materials by composites resistant to these aggressive environments.

In this article, we look at the properties of anticorrosion composites, the resins, matrices and reinforcing fibers used for corrosion resistance, their manufacture, performance and chemical resistance.

Chemical resistance tables for composites are given in article [... ], and in a third article [ ], we will review all their applications in various industries and the building trade: chemical engineering, civil engineering, factories, construction, public works, shipbuilding, automotive, etc.