Long-Term Durability of FRP Cables under Maritime Conditions

Six types of FRP cables were subjected to an exposure test lasting more than fifteen years under maritime conditions, and the retrieved cables were evaluated mainly by SEM and FT-IR microscopy. Loss of surface resin was observed for all the tested FRP cables; however, deterioration between the fiber and matrix resin was not found by SEM. Observation by FT-IR microscopy detected surface deterioration of AFRP cables, and the feasibility of this method for evaluating the deterioration of some FRP cables was indicated.