The effect of fibre contents on mechanical and moisture absorption properties of gourd sponge/coir fibre reinforced epoxy hybrid composites

The present investigation deals with matured sponge gourd which has been amalgamated with coconut coir as reinforcement along with epoxy resin as matrix in a composite. This study has been carried out to explore the impact of change in weight percentages of sponge gourd fiber and coir on the mechanical properties and moisture affinity. The experiments revealed that the tensile and impact strength increases with coir addition, whereas, flexural strength increases with sponge fiber content. The maximum moisture resistance was achieved when the sponge fiber and coir content was equal by weight.

Automated summary

This study investigates the mechanical properties and moisture affinity of matured sponge gourd reinforced with coconut coir and epoxy resin. The experiments show that adding coir increases tensile and impact strength, while increasing sponge fiber content boosts flexural strength. The best moisture resistance is achieved when the weight percentages of sponge fiber and coir are equal.