dc.description.abstract | Abstract: Over the years solar water heater storage tanks have been made of
galvanized steel or coated with enamel to prevent rusting due to corrosion.
Current designs and fabrications of solar heater storage tanks do not last long
due to corrosion of the tanks accelerated by high temperatures and saline water
they handle at the coastal regions. The objective of this research was to
investigate the performance of Glass Reinforced Plastic as a material for the
tanks in the saline coastal waters. The research was done from June 2012 to
April 2014 in a laboratory setup by looking at the effect on the physical and
mechanical properties due to heat, water and saline solution diffusion, on the
Glass Reinforced Plastic as well as the physical failures due to hygrothermic
and ultraviolet radiation influence.
The composite of Isophthalic and Orthophthalic polyester resin matrix together
with woven and chopped strands powder mat of 450g/m2 E-Glass fibers were
used in the study. Strips of the composite sheet samples were exposed to
ultraviolet radiation, hygrothermic, and saline conditions by varying the
intensity of each parameter. Ultraviolet lamp chamber was used for detecting
ultraviolet radiation effects while the strength, viscoelastic response and thermal
loading properties were evaluated through Universal Test Machine.
The tensile strength decreased as temperature increases while the ultraviolet
radiation exposure effect was insignificant. Isopolyester had higher strength
under pressure than orthopolyester due to its stronger chemical properties. It
was envisaged that polyester resin E-glass composite performed better than
galvanized steel as solar hot water tank material. The result showed that Glass
Reinforced Polyester can be used for saline hot water storage tanks and perform
better. | en_US |