Applying the Langmuir- Type Mass Transport Model on the Water Absorption in Vegetable Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites: A Finite-Volume Approach
Rafaela Quinto da Costa Melo1; Wanessa Raphaella Gomes dos Santos1; Antonio Gilson Barbosa de Lima1
1 Federal University of Campina Grande
doi:10.20906/CPS/CILAMCE2017-0713
Resumo
Composite material consists of a new material obtained by combination of two or more distinct materials with specified electrical, thermical, physical and mechanical properties for a designable application. The use of vegetable fiber as reinforcement in polymer composites has presented great potential in different technological applications. The disadvantage in the manufacture of this material lies in the chemical structure of the fibers and their polar and hydrophilic nature, which favors a high level of moisture absorption and makes impregnation of the polymer more difficult causing low adhesion fiber-matrix. Thus, in order to make possible the use of these materials, ensuring their competition with conventionally used materials, it is of vital importance to predict the extent of the degradation of their mechanical properties due to moisture absorption. For this purpose there are many sophisticated theoretical approaches devoted to the understanding of the process. In this context, this work presents a one-dimensional mathematical modeling based on the Langmuir-Type Model to predict the moisture transport inside the composite materials. The numerical solution of the governing equation has been obtained using the finite-volume method, considering constant thermo-physical properties. Results of the moisture absorption kinetics and free and trapped water molecules, concentration distribution and moisture content distribution inside the material along the process are shown and analyzed. Predicted results compared to experimental data of average moisture content have shown that the model was effective for description of the phenomenon.
Palavras-chave: Composites; Vegetable Fibers; Langmuir Model; Numerical Solution