Experimental Study on the Degradation Mechanism of BFRP Under the Coupling Effect of Chloride Freeze-Thaw Cycles

Basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) is one of the new materials that can be used for making photovoltaic scaffolds, which can effectively solve the problem of the rapid deterioration of complex environmental performance and high maintenance cost of traditional scaffold materials. This paper focuses on the BFRP photovoltaic support in the cold and arid irrigation area of northwest China, carries out the durability test under the action of chloride salt, freeze-thaw cycle, and chloride salt freeze-thaw environment coupling, and it compares and analyzes the degradation law of the mechanical properties of BFRP sheets under different environmental effects. The performance degradation mechanism of BFRP materials under different environmental effects was revealed by SEM scanning electron microscopy and EDS energy spectrum analysis. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Under the action of chloride salt, the tensile strength, elastic modulus and elongation at break of the specimen decreased by 11.46%, 7.02%, and 10.27%, respectively. Under the freeze-thaw cycle, the tensile strength and elongation at break of the specimen decreased by 9.62% and 6.85%, while the elastic modulus first increased and then decreased, with a maximum decrease of 12.95%. The degradation of mechanical properties is the most serious under the coupling effect of chloride salt and the freeze-thaw environment. The tensile strength, elastic modulus, and elongation at break of the specimens decreased by 25.73%, 9.55%, and 24.81%, respectively. (2) In the chloride environment, the distribution of elements on the surface of the specimen changed, the metal ions of the fibers precipitated, and ‘black spots‘ and corrosion pits appeared. The resin matrix forms ‘sponge-like‘ pores; under the freeze-thaw cycle, the fiber–resin interface cracks and fiber shedding intensifies; under the coupling effect of chloride freeze-thaw, ‘black spots‘, pits, resin holes, and interface cracks increased, and chloride penetration corrosion accelerated.