Mechanical behaviour of basalt fibre-reinforced plastics and their durability in an alkaline environment

In the durability experiments specimens were stored in a filtered cement solution, which is similar to the pore solution in concrete. Aging was performed at three different temperatures: 22°C as a reference, 40°C, and 80°C. Higher temperatures were needed to accelerate the chemical reactions and so to achieve a higher degree of material aging. The principles of such accelerated aging are based on the Arrhenius theory.