Creep and dynamic mechanical behavior of cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol reinforced with cotton fiber laminate composites

Abstract

Abstract The objective of this investigation was to fabricate cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based laminate composites reinforced with biaxial cotton sheets. Cross-linking was done with sulfuric acid, to overcome the water solubility of PVA. A water uptake test was performed to evaluate the effect of cross-linking on the water absorption properties of the composites. Morphology, distribution and bonding between the matrix and reinforcement of the fabricated composites were studied using scanning electron microscopy. Mechanical properties such as the tensile strength (TS), modulus of elasticity and elongation of the fabricated composites material were evaluated. There was about a 56.25% increase in the TS of the cross-linked composite as compared to the neat PVA, and at 64 wt.% of cotton fiber, there was about a 56% increase in the TS as compared to the cross-linked PVA. The thermal degradation analysis of fabricated composites material was carried out by thermogravimetric analysis. The thermal stability increased with increase in cotton fiber wt.%. The viscoelastic properties of the fabricated composites material were determined by dynamic mechanical analysis. The effects of stress (4 MPa, 6 MPa and 8 MPa) and temperature (20°C and 40°C) on creep and recovery behavior of the laminated composites were studied.