Characterization of the mechanical and corrosion properties of hybrid stainless steel/carbon fiber wires

The development of highly resistant and lightweight materials is becoming increasingly important in various industrial sectors including the ropes sector. The objective of this work is to present some of the results obtained in the European FIRST-WIRE project, financed by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel - RFCS. The objective of the project was to develop and characterize hybrid ropes with a stainless-steel shell (super austenitic steel X1NiCrMoCuN25-20-7) and a carbon fiber core (pre-impregnated fiber bundles). The object of this work is the characterization of the mechanical and corrosion resistance of the single wires constituting the rope. In detail, analyses of the static tensile and fatigue resistance of the hybrid material and pull out tests were carried out, obtaining satisfactory results in terms of resistance and elongation and excellent in terms of the resistance of the fibre-shell interface. As regards corrosion resistance, excellent resistance to pitting was obtained and no problems of corrosion due to galvanic contact were encountered while possible problems relating to stress corrosion cracking were identified.