Effect of moisture absorption on the mechanical properties of jute/glass hybrid sandwich composites

Abstract

Abstract The use of composites has been increasing day by day due to their specific properties such as high strength to weight ratios, high modulus to weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and wear resistance. The objective of this work is to evaluate the moisture absorption effect on the mechanical properties of hybrid sandwich composite structures formed by epoxy resin, reinforced by woven fabrics of glass and jute fibres, with a central layer of polyethylene foam. The structures used for the current study is fabricated by hand layup technique. The water absorption characteristics of the fibres are obtained by immersing the composite samples in normal water at room temperature at different intervals of time. The different sandwich composite structures are prepared and are compared with pure jute fibre composite. The testing of specimens is carried out as per ASTM standards. The tensile, flexural and impact tests on dry and wet hybrid and non-hybrid sandwich composite samples are examined. The study shows that the mechanical properties of the jute/glass fibres are improved by using foam. However, as a result of water penetrating the fibre/matrix interface, longer water- immersion times reduced the tensile, flexural and impact strength of the composites.