Effect of Moisture Absorption on Mechanical Properties of Chopped Natural Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composite

This paper describes the moisture absorption behavior and its effect on mechanical properties of Lantana camara fiber reinforced epoxy composite. Composite samples reinforced with different wt% of fibers were prepared by hand lay-up technique. Increase in tensile and flexural strength was observed with increase in fiber content up to 30%. Moisture absorption tests were carried out in three different environmental conditions (steam, saline water and sub-zero temperature). The moisture diffusivity constant and equilibrium moisture uptake were calculated. Moisture absorption of the studied composites was proved to follow the kinetics of a Fickian diffusion process. Tensile and flexural strength of composite were found to decrease with moisture absorption. After the mechanical tests, fracture characteristics analysis of the tested specimens was carried out to reveal a reasonable interaction between the reinforcement and matrix.