Determination of Energy Changes and Length of Micro Cracks Formed in Cotton Fibre Reinforced Natural Composite Laminate Due to Environmental Degradation

This study is to know the effect of biodegradation on the cotton fiber reinforced composites. Four types of cotton fiber reinforced composites were prepared in hand layup process by using matrixes Plaster of paris POP, wheat starch WS, rice starch RS and urea formal dehyde UF. The tensile tests were conducted as per ASTM D 638. Initially tensile test were conducted on few of them. Other samples were exposed to atmospheric air for six months and then the tensile test is conducted on them, the strengths of all the samples were found to be lowered considerably. The starch and Urea formal dehyde composites were found degraded. But the POP composites were not degraded. The sum of the lengths of micro cracks was calculated for the degraded laminates.