Study of water absorption characteristics of waste plastics and GFRP composites

This study is based on the water absorption characteristics of Fiberglass reinforced and waste plastics filled hybrid polymer Composites. The fiberglass reinforced polymer Composites are mostly used in the making of boats making, car bodies, etc. As it is subjected to be in contact with water and salty atmosphere for the most of the days, it must have an enhanced water repulsive nature. Moisture absorption property is affected by the addition of fillers and reinforcement materials. This study reveals the optimized selection and composition of the reinforcements and fillers at which the composite exhibits a better water repulsive characteristics. For the making of composite, spray layup process is followed and the moisture absorption nature of the specimens are tested as per the ASTM standards. For optimization MINITAB17 software is utilized and the specimens are produced as per the L9 orthogonal array design in Taguchi method. The results were then optimized to get the minimum moisture absorption property. The optimized results show that the specimen with E type glass fibre, 55 wt% of glass fibre composition and 25 wt% of plastic waste particulate fillers and remaining binders have minimal water absorption characteristics. The results reveal that the selection of the glass fibre and percentage of the fillers added has more influence on the moisture absorption property of the composites. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.