Abstract
Cellulose-fiber-reinforced plain weave composites absorb lots of water from humid environments because of their inherent susceptibility to moisture. Moisture absorption experiments with cellulose fiber plain weave composites have been reported by some researchers; however, few theoretical studies have been performed to date to predict their moisture diffusion behavior. In this paper, the moisture diffusion behavior of cellulose-fiber-reinforced plain weave composite is predicted using a novel superposition method considering its microweave pattern. The overall moisture uptake of the composite is treated as moisture absorption superposition of the fiber bundles part, resin part, undulated fiber bundles and resin-rich part in the unit cell. The moisture diffusion of the undulated fiber bundles and resin-rich part is more complicated than the other parts; thus, a solution for a unique three-phase diffusion problem is used to solve this special moisture diffusion issue. Both finite element analysis and experiments are carried out to validate the proposed approach, with the results showing that the predictions can effectively characterize the moisture diffusion behavior of cellulose-fiber-reinforced plain weave composites.
Highlights
Cellulose-fiber-reinforced plain weave composites absorb lots of water from humid environments because of their inherent susceptibility to moisture
Cellulose fibers offer the advantages of low relative density, low cost and good recyclability compared with synthetic fibers [1,2,3], so their composites hold promise for future use in automotive, civil engineering and other fields [4,5,6,7,8,9]
The main drawback of cellulose fiber composites is their high hydrophilicity when they are applied in humid environments [10,11]
Summary
Cellulose-fiber-reinforced plain weave composites absorb lots of water from humid environments because of their inherent susceptibility to moisture. The moisture diffusion of the undulated fiber bundles and resin-rich part is more complicated than the other parts; a solution for a unique three-phase diffusion problem is used to solve this special moisture diffusion issue Both finite element analysis and experiments are carried out to validate the proposed approach, with the results showing that the predictions can effectively characterize the moisture diffusion behavior of cellulose-fiber-reinforced plain weave composites. Cellulose fibers (such as curaua, sisal and jute) offer the advantages of low relative density, low cost and good recyclability compared with synthetic fibers [1,2,3], so their composites hold promise for future use in automotive, civil engineering and other fields [4,5,6,7,8,9]. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
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