Hydrothermal ageing of alfa fiber reinforced polyvinylchloride composites

This paper describes the influence of hydrothermal ageing behavior on the properties of alfa fiber reinforced polyvinylchloride composites (PVC/alfa). Hydrothermal ageing was carried out by immersing specimens in distilled water at 100 °C over a 120 h period. Composites without coupling agent showed higher water uptake than those with coupling agent. Tensile strength, Young’s modulus and thermal stability were found to decrease after hydrothermal ageing due to fiber damage and reduced fiber matrix interfacial bonding, while elongation at break was found to increase due to the plasticizing effect of water.