Acid resistance of flax braided reinforced epoxy composite tubes

Abstract

Flax braided reinforced epoxy composites have been prepared by vacuum assisted direct resin injection moulding method. The prepared composites are then tested for flexural strength and flexural modulus. The effect of sulphuric acid concentration and immersion time on the diffusion behavior of the composite tubes has been studied. The result indicates that the sulphuric acid has a significant effect on the diffusion coefficient of the composites. With the increase in acid concentration, the diffusion coefficient values decrease initially and later increase at higher concentration. The flexural strength of the composites is found to be lower for water immersed samples as compared to that for the control samples.