Effect of Weathering on Physical and Mechanical Characteristics of Eulaliopsis Binata Fiber/Epoxy Composites

The overall performance and service life of natural fiber-based composites are affected by different factors depending on their application areas, such as building products, automotive and as packaging materials. As building product, natural fiber polymer composites are used for outdoor applications in decking, fencing, sliding window frames and roofing tiles. When these products are used for outdoor applications, they are going to be exposed to a climate with moisture as well as temperature fluctuation which may influence their durability and mechanical properties. In the present work, an attempt has been made to develop Eulaliopsis Binata (a natural fiber) epoxy composite and to study the weathering effect on its performance. The composites were exposed to three different moisture environments such as distilled water, saline water and subzero temperature. The composites were prepared with 10, 20, 30, and 40 weight fractions of short EB fiber. The thickness swelling rate parameter, diffusivity constant and equilibrium moisture content were determined considering the application areas for the developed composites. The results indicate that as the fiber content increases, the moisture uptake also increases. The degradation of tensile, flexural and impact strength of the composites in different environments was determined and analyzed. The obtained results indicate that moisture absorption pattern for the composites follows the Fickian diffusion behavior. Maximum degradation of mechanical properties has been found in distilled water environment followed by saline water and subzero environments. The analysis of failure mechanisms of tested samples in different environmental conditions was also carried out by using FESEM.