Study of Mechanical Properties and Hard Water Absorption Behavior of Water Hyacinth Reinforced Starch Composite

Abstract

In this paper an attempt has been made to prepare bio-composite using water hyacinth fiber as reinforcement and potato starch as matrix. The renewable resource, water hyacinth is used as the major composition of the proposed bio-composite. Since the bio polymer can contribute better mechanical properties, it can act as a substitute for the existing synthetic fibers. The biodegradable, environmentally friendly and less expensive characteristics of the bio composite, find it suitable for automotive and conventional industrial applications. The effect of the fiber length ranging from 10 mm to 40 mm verses tensile strength and bearing strength are included in the research work. The simplest and most effective hand layup method is used to prepare the bio fiber from water hyacinth after duly seasoning the raw stems in the controlled environment. The bio composite made up of 70% potato starch as matrix is dissolved in sufficient amount of water in which 30% of glycerol is added to the reaction mixture. Magnetic stirrer capable of generating variable speed ranging from 800 rpm to 1200 rpm, with inbuilt heating mechanism made up of stainless steel material is used to prepare the reaction mixture. The stirring process is continued till the required viscosity is obtained. The specimen is kept in the electric oven and the water content is removed. Before investigating the mechanical properties, the specimen was compressed to 600 psi (≈ 42 bar) pressure. Using Universal Testing Machine (UTM) the tensile strength of the composite was investigated in the ambient temperature and pressure. The specimens- with and without reinforcement were studied to find the effect of water absorption capability which is function of nature solvent and matrix. Based on the experimental results, it was concluded that bio composite is a potential candidate to serve the needs of the industry.