Influence of cellulose water absorption on the tensile properties of polyester composites reinforced with Sansevieria ehrenbergii fibers

The research work investigates the tensile properties of Sansevieria ehrenbergii (SE) fiber and SE fiber-reinforced polyester composite with various water absorption times. The experiments were conducted according to ATSM standards. The simple hand lay-up method followed by compression molding process adopted to prepare the SE fiber-reinforced polyester composites at constant fiber weight fractions. The surface treatment was done on the SE fiber with various chemicals such as NaOH, KMnO ₄ , benzoyl peroxide, benzoyl chloride, and stearic acid. These results show that the tensile strength was dropped off with increase in water absorption time. Among all, the tensile strength was found to be highest for KMnO ₄ -treated SE fiber-reinforced composite compared to other composites. This was due to the highest bonding area between the fiber and matrix compared to other treated fiber composites. The percentage of water absorption for composites increased with water absorption time. The morphology of the tensile fractured specimens was studied using scanning electron microscope. This shows that the fiber pull-out was lower in raw fiber composite compared to water-swelled fiber composites and this dropped off the tensile strength of the composites. Hence, the water-swelled fiber composites decrease the mechanical properties of the composites.