Abstract
This paper presents a theoretical and experimental study about water absorption in unsaturated polyester polymer composites reinforced with vegetable fibers, with particular reference to macambira fiber. A mathematical modeling based on the liquid diffusion theory has been proposed and numerical procedures using the finite volume technique are presented and discussed. Results of the water absorption kinetic and moisture content distribution for the polymer composites are shown and analyzed. The knowledge of moisture distribution inside the composite is essential for determination of areas that may show delamination problems (moisture induced degradation) due to the weakness of the fiber-matrix interface and consequently reduction in the mechanical properties of the composites.
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