Effect of Moisture Absorption on Mechanical Properties of Natural Fibre Hybrid Composite

摘要

The study on the effect of environmental conditions on the mechanical properties of composites is much important. Natural fibre reinforced composites have been widely used in the variety of applications. Natural fibre composites may suffer when the material is exposed to adverse environments for long periods of time. Natural fibre-synthetic of kenaf-Kevlar and jute-Kevlar laminated with epoxy resin. The hybrid composites were subjected to water immersion in order to study the effect of water absorption on the mechanical properties of samples containing about 30% by weight of fibre content. The diffusion coefficient of water absorption and maximum moisture content were calculated by measuring water uptake of specimen at regular time interval. Tensile and impact properties of the composites were determined. A decrease in tensile properties of the composites was demonstrated, showing a great loss in mechanical properties of the humid samples compared to the dry samples. The percentage of moisture uptake increased as the weight percentage of fibre is increased due to the high cellulose content. The water absorption pattern of these composites was found to follow Fickian behaviour.