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JOURNAL OF COMPOSITE M AT E R I A L S
Journal of Composite Materials 0(0) 111 ! The Author(s) 2011 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0021998311410488 jcm.sagepub.com

Effect of water absorption on pultruded jute/glass fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester hybrid composites
Mohd Hafiz Zamri, Hazizan Md Akil, Azhar Abu Bakar, Zainal Arifin Mohd Ishak and Leong Wei Cheng

Abstract The use of natural fibers in polymer composites has given renewed interest to the development of green composites today. However, the moisture absorption of natural fibers gives serious concern, especially for their potential outdoor applications. This article reports the study results on the water absorption of pultruded jute/glass fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester hybrid composites, which was subjected to various water conditions and their effects on its mechanical properties. Water absorption tests were performed by immersing composite specimens into three different water conditions, namely: distilled water, sea water, and acidic water, which were at room temperature, for a period of 3 weeks. The characteristic parameter of diffusion coefficient (D) and maximum moisture content (Mm) were determined from the obtained water absorption curves. The water absorption behavior of the glass/jute fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester hybrid composite was found to follow a non-Fickian behavior. The effects of the various aqueous environments on the flexural and compression characteristics were investigated in this study. The flexural and compression properties were found to decrease with an increasing percentage of water uptakes.

Keywords fibers, hybrid composites, environmental degradation, mechanical property, pultrusion

Introduction
With an increasing environmental awareness by the general public, there are active research interests on the studies of natural ber-reinforced polymer matrix composites. This is largely due to their eco-friendliness and cost eectiveness.1 The advantages of natural ber composites are, reasonable strength, lightweight, free from health hazards, biodegradable, and therefore, their potential to be used as building materials.24 The natural bers also promise sustainability, cheaper, and lighter in weight, which provides better stiness per weight than glass.5 Despite the advantages listed above, their limitations include, a lower modulus, low strength and poor moisture resistance, and especially their absorption when compared with synthetic bers, such as glass.6 Natural bers also have poor wettability by non-polar plastics, and insucient adhesion between untreated bers and the polymer matrix, which can lead to debonding with age.7,8 The moisture absorption, by

composites containing natural bers, has several adverse eects on their properties and thus, aects their long-term performance. For example, increased moisture causes the bers to swell, decreases their mechanical properties, provides the necessary conditions for biodegradation, and changes their dimensions.9 Several research works have been reported on eect of water absorption in natural ber-reinforced composites, such as bambooglass ber, sisal, ax pineapple leaf ber, jute, short roselle and sisal ber, and bamboo ber, which shows the relevancy of the subject. Presence of moisture in the natural composites would
School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia. Corresponding author: Hazizan Md Akil, School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia Email: hazizan@eng.usm.my

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2 lower the exural strength, tensile strength, and other mechanical properties of the composites system.912 All polymers and composites absorb moisture in humid atmospheres when immersed in water. In general, moisture diusion in composites, depends on factors, such as the volume fraction of ber, void volume, additives, humidity, and temperature.13,14 Moisture diffusion in polymer composites has been shown to be governed by three dierent mechanisms. The rst involves the diusion of water molecules inside the micro gaps between the polymer chains. The second involves capillary transportation into the gaps and aws at the interfaces between the ber and the matrix. The third involves transportation of micro cracks in the matrix, arising from the swelling of bers, particularly in the case of natural ber composites.9,12 One possibility, to obtain a composite with better mechanical performance, is reinforcement by two or more ber-types in a single matrix, leading to hybrid composites with a greater diversity of material properties. The advantage of using a hybrid composite; is that one type of ber could complement what is lacking in the other. Besides that, hybridization signicantly enhances the mechanical properties of composites.12,15 In this research, glass bers, which have higher mechanical properties, were combined with the jute bers to give biodegradable properties to the composite samples.16 Hybridization of natural ber, with stronger and more corrosion-resistance synthetic ber (e.g., glass ber), can improve the stiness, strength, as well as the moisture resistance of the composites, and therefore, a balance between environmental impact and performance may be achieved. Besides the increase in the mechanical properties of the composites, hybridization also reduces the weight of composites and their production costs. Importantly, hybridization between natural bers and glass bers is expected to improve the properties of the materials and decrease their water uptake, and subsequently reducing the water absorption problem. By improving the water absorption resistance, the composite will maintain its properties, even though it is being used in humid environment. It is really important to consider the water absorption into composites, since the presence of moisture in the composite sample, reduces its mechanical properties. The inuence of the moisture absorption eect, on the mechanical properties of a hybrid sandwich composite, formed by polyester resin-reinforced woven fabrics of glass and jute ber, has been discussed in previous studies.10 The objective of this study was to investigate the eect of moisture absorption on the hybrid jute/glass ber-reinforced unsaturated polyester, after exposure to dierent types of solution.

Journal of Composite Materials 0(0) Samples of pultruded jute/glass ber-reinforced unsaturated polyester hybrid composites, have been successfully produced, using the pultrusion method. The pultrusion process was selected, because of its unique processing technique of composite manufacture. Pultruded composite is always associated with high strength and stiness, which is particularly due to its high ber content i.e., 70%. So, pultrusion is one of several composite processing techniques that could process composites with up to 70% ber content, in a unidirectional ber conguration.5,17 In this study, the hybrid-pultruded composite was manufactured with a higher ratio of matrix to ber loading i.e., 30:70, with a ratio of glass to jute of 50:50, by volume. A maximum ber loading was selected to observe maximum moisture absorption and will be used as a reference or standard, for the next study (the results from another study will be published soon). Water immersion tests in various water conditions have been successfully performed. Hybrid jute/glass ber-reinforced polyester-pultruded composites, were immersed in three dierent solutions of distilled water, seawater, and an acidic solution at room temperature. The data collected were used to compare the maximum water absorption (Mm) with the diusion coecient (D), of composites made using 100% natural and synthetic bers. Finally, the eect of water absorption on the properties of jute/glass ber-reinforced hybrid composites were evaluated, based on exural and compression testing. Compression properties, before and after immersion, were analyzed and discussed.

Materials
Jute bers were supplied by Alam Fiber Impex Ltd, Bangladesh, in a twisted roving form. Glass bers were in a direct roving form and were supplied by MMFG Composites Sdn. Bhd. Unsaturated polyester resin (Crystic P9901) was purchased from the Revertex Company, Malaysia. Table 1 gives an overview of the jute bers properties. The properties of the glass ber and unsaturated polyester resin can be found in Tables 2 and 3.

Preparation of pultruded composites

The hybrid composite used in this study was a unidirectional jute ber/glass ber-reinforced composite rod, measuring 12.7 mm in diameter, and produced using a thermoset pultrusion machine. The parameters used for pultrusion processing, are shown in Table 4. This machine is equipped with a creel, guidance devices, resin bath, preforming guide, heated die,

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Zamri et al. pulling device, and cut-o saw, as shown in Figure 1. The continuous jute and glass bers were rst impregnated with an unsaturated polyester resin in a resin impregnation tank. A pulling device was used to pull the impregnated jute and glass ber through a steel die, to achieve the desired shape, and also establish the correct resin/ber ratio. A curing process was carried out using a curing die, which is precision machined to impart the nal shape. A pulling device draws the stock though a die and also determines the production speed. Finally, a cut-o mechanism was used to cut the continuous pultruded composites into the desired

3 lengths.17,18 The average diameter, of all composite rods, is 12.7 mm.

Material characterization
Water absorption investigation. Specimens were immersed into three dierent aqueous environments, which were distilled water, sea water, and an acidic solution. For the water absorption measurements, the specimens were withdrawn from the solution, wiped dry to remove surface moisture, and then weighted using an electronic balance (accurate to 104 g) to monitor the

Table 1. Properties of the jute fiber Properties Tex Density Diameter Tensile strength Specific strength E-modulus Specific modulus Elongation Unit g/km g/cm3 mm MPa UTS/density GPa E/density % Value

Table 3. Properties of unsaturated polyester resin1 Properties 828 1.3 25.2 393773 302595 26.5 20.4 1.51.8 Viscosity at 23 C Brookfield RVT 2/10 rpm Density Reticulation at 23 C Operational time Youngs modulus Tensile stress at break Tensile strain at break Unit Value Standard

MPas kg/dm3 min MPa MPa %

1200 1.2 20 4000 61 2.5

ISO 2555 ISO 2811

ISO 527 ISO 527 ISO 527

Table 2. Properties of the glass fiber Properties Tex Density14 Diameter15 Tensile strength14 Specific strength E-modulus14 Specific modulus Elongation14 Unit g/km g/cm3 mm MPa UTS/density GPa E/density % Value 4400 2.5 525 25003500 10001400 70.0 28 2.5 Table 4. Details of pultrusion parameter Pulling speed (mm/min) Jute fiber-pultruded composites Glass fiber-pultruded composites 195 350 Temperature ( C) 135 135

Figure 1. The schematic of pultrusion machine.

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Table 5. Effect of immersion environments on the diffusion coefficient, D and the maximum moisture content, Mm of jute glass fiber reinforced unsaturated polyester hybrid composite Flexural specimen Distilled water D (m2/s) Mm (%) Sea water D (m2/s) Mm (%) Acidic solution D (m2/s) Mm (%) 7.14 1012 4.46 5.98 10 3.55
12

Journal of Composite Materials 0(0) mass during the aging process. The moisture content M (%), absorbed by each specimen was calculated from its weight before, wo and after, wt absorption, as follows:   M1 M0 M% 100 M0 1

Compression specimen 2.68 1011 5.16 2.23 10 4.72

11

6.17 1012 4.30

2.30 1011 4.92

where M (%), is the moisture content in percentage; M1 (g) the weight of the wet sample at a given time, and M0 (g) the initial weight of the sample. Further analysis of water absorption characteristics of pultruded samples in various solutions, was performed by measuring the diusion coecient (D). The diusion coecient (D),

Figure 2. Weight gain as a function of time for (a) flexural specimen and (b) compression specimen of juteglass reinforced unsaturated polyester hybrid composite materials exposed to distilled water, sea water, and acidic solution at room temperature.

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Nosbi et al.5 Jarukumjorn, and Suppakarn6

5
Mishra et al.2 Velmurugan and Manikandan3 Wambua et al.4 RT RT

for the composite specimen was calculated using Equation (2):  D kh 4Mm 2 2
References Temperature ( C)

19.85 103 (6240)a 2.68 1011 (504)a

Table 6. Comparison of moisture content (Mm) and diffusion coefficient (D) for various composites system

D (mm2 s1) (hours)a

19.22 103 (6240)a 2.30 1011 (504)a

25.30 (6240)a 4.46 (504)a

In this study, hybrid composite samples were immersed into three types of aqueous environments, which were distilled water (pH 7), sea water (pH 8), and an acidic solution (pH 3). These three types of solution were selected because they represent real-life conditions, where these samples can be applied. These solutions have also been used in previous studies.5,7 Water absorption curves, for exural and compression specimens of jute/glass ber-reinforced unsaturated polyester hybrid composites, are shown in Figure 1(a) and (b),

70:30 70:30 Where 50:50 of glass and jute 70:30 66:34 Kenaf/polyester Glass and jute/polyester Jute/polyester Graphite/epoxy

Results and discussions Water absorption behavior of pultruded jute/glass hybrid composites

Mm (%) (hours)a

Acidic

25.10 4.92

Matrix:fibers ratio

10.34 n/a
a

n/a n/a

10.71 (504)a 1.20 (4700)a

Duration of immersion (hours).

Glass/vinylester Glass/polyester

Composites system

68:32 55:45

0.55 (8760) 0.23

Distilled

out using Instron 3367 according to the standard ASTM D 695-02 a. The diameter and length of the specimen were 12.7 and 25.4 mm, respectively. The crosshead speed for compression test was set at 5 mm/ min. Three specimens for each condition were used to minimize errors.

n/a n/a

Compression testing. A compression test was carried

Acidic

21.27 4.72

Sea

n/a n/a

10.25 n/a

5.93 1012 (504)a n/a

Flexural testing. A exural test was carried out using Instron 8802 according to the standard ASTM D4476 03. Specimens (pultruded rods with diameters of 12.7 mm) were cut into two parts, where the cross-section of each part is smaller than a half-round section. The total specimen length was 125 mm with an overhang length of 12.5 mm, at both supports. The crosshead speed for the exural test was set at 5 mm/min. Three specimens for each condition were used to obtain a satisfactory result.

Distilled

1.33 10 (8760) 8.56 106 (1440)

6.54 1012 (504)a 2.87 1013 (4700)a

The times were chosen at a very early stage of the moisture process, so that the weight change could still be taken to vary linearly with the square root of time.

Sea

n/a n/a

4.84 1012 (504)a n/a

M2 M1 k p p T2 T1

17.91 103 (6240)a 2.23 1011 (504)a

2

40 40

RT 45

where Mm (%) is the maximum weight gain (%); h (mm) the thickness of the composites; and k the initial slope from a plot of M (%) vs. T ( h), as shown in Equation (3).9

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Figure 3. (a) Flexural strength, (b) maximum flexural strain, and (c) flexural modulus for juteglass fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester hybrid composite after exposed to environmental conditions.

respectively. Each curve represents the average data of all three specimens. From the water absorption curves, it is clear that the absorbed water content increased with an increasing immersion time. This nding has been reported previously concerning the natural berreinforced composites.57,19 In general, the water absorption behavior of hybridpultruded composites in all three solutions can be considered as a non-Fickian process, where it shows an increasing trend and the moisture uptake never reaches equilibrium after the initial take-o. Similar observations have been reported previously.5,7 In principle, the diusion process of water in polymers and polymeric composites may depart from the idealizations inherent in the classical formulation of Ficks law.9,20,21 Since the moisture uptake does not reach equilibrium, a non-Fickian moisture absorption process may have signicant eects for long-term applications in humid environments. Further analysis of the water absorption characteristics of hybrid-pultruded composites in various solutions was done by measuring the diusion coecient (D). The diusion coecient (D), for the composite specimens, was calculated using Equation (2). Diusion coecient, D and the maximum of moisture content, Mm for exural specimens and

compression specimens of jute/glass ber-reinforced unsaturated polyester hybrid composite are represented in Table 5. From the values shown in Table 5, the highest diusion coecient was recorded for jute/glass hybrid-pultruded composites, immersed in distilled water, followed by an acidic solution, and seawater. Based on the diusion coecient Ds value in Table 5, diusion of water into jute/glass hybrid-pultruded composite was more favorable in distilled water, compared to the acidic solution and seawater. This was due to the presence of large salt molecules in the sea water (notably sodium chloride), which slows the diusion process into the matrix of the composite materials, resulting in lower absorption kinetic parameters.22 This trend can be related to the hydrolysis mechanism of the cellulose within natural ber. The hydrolysis of cellulose is expected to be more pronounced in seawater (alkaline) and acidic solution, compared to distilled water. In seawater (alkaline), it is expected that the electro negativity of the solution has a strong inuence on the diusion process, which can make the jute bers swell with a highly positive charge. In terms of electro negativity, seawater has the highest, compared to the acidic water, and then the distilled water. This nding is in agreement with previously reported work (Figure 2).23

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(a) 900 800 700 600 Stress, MPa 500 400 300 200 100 0 0 10 20 30 40 Strain, 50 x103 60 70 80 90 Standard 1st Day 1st Week 2nd Week 3rd Week (b) 900 800 700 600 Stress, MPa 500 400 300 200 100 0 0 10 20 30 40 Strain, 50 x103 60 70 80 90 Standard 1st Day 1st Week 2nd Week 3rd Week

(c) 900 800 700 600 Stress, MPa 500 400 300 200 100 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Standard 1st Day 1st Week 2nd Week 3rd Week

Strain, x103

Figure 4. Stressstrain curves for flexural specimen of juteglass fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester hybrid composite after exposed to (a) distilled water, (b) sea water, and (c) acidic solution.

The most common glass, used in ber reinforcement, consists of 54% SiO2, 17.2% CaO, 15.2% Al2O3, 8.0% B2O3, 4.7% MgO, and 0.6% Na2O, by weight. Weak acidic solutions, such as acetic acid solutions, buered at pH values of 35, do not cause signicantly more extensive corrosion than distilled water. However, during immersion, there was an ion exchange of protons for metal ions on the glass surfaces and thus, acid would catalyze depolymerization of the polymer matrix and hydrolysis of the siloxy bonds, in the interphase region, causing a degradation of the glass bers.24 The maximum water absorption (Mm) and diusion coecient (D) for various composites systems are summarized in Table 6. In comparison, the maximum moisture absorption (Mm) for jute/polyester and kenaf/ polyester composites system, show higher values compared to the other composites. The maximum moisture

absorption for jute/polyester composites, immersed in distilled water is reported at 10.71%.7 For kenaf/polyester composites system immersed in distilled water, the maximum moisture absorption is higher i.e., 25.30%.5 The addition of natural bers to the composites system causes a higher moisture uptake compared to synthetic bers. This is due, in particular, to the hydrophilic nature of natural bers, that are more sensitive toward water absorption than synthetic bers, which cause instability in the properties of the composites.5,7 The synthetic ber composites system shows minimum moisture absorption, compared to others. For composites reinforced by glass bers immersed in distilled water, it shows that moisture absorption is less than 1.00%. For graphite/epoxy composites system immersed in distilled water, the moisture absorption is only 1.20%.2527 The incorporation of glass ber with

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Figure 5. (a) Compression strength, (b) maximum compression strain, and (c) compression modulus for juteglass fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester hybrid composite after exposed to environmental conditions.

jute ber in polyester decreases the water absorption of the composites. As shown in Table 6, due to the hybridization of jute and glass bers, the maximum absorption decrease to 4.46%, which lies between the 100% natural ber composites systems and the 100% of synthetic bers. It is expected that the hybridization not only reduces the moisture uptake, but also increases the physical and mechanical properties of the polymer composites.

Effect of water absorption on flexural properties

Flexural strength, maximum exural strain, and exural modulus, for jute/glass ber-reinforced unsaturated polyester hybrid composite, after exposure to various environmental conditions, are shown in Figure 3(a)(c), respectively. Each value represents the average data of three specimens. Consequently, the exural stressstrain curves, corresponding to the samples immersed in distilled water, sea water, and the acidic solution, are depicted in Figure 4(a)(c), respectively. Figure 3 shows that for all environmental conditions, as the immersion time increases, both exural strength and exural modulus decrease. Jute ber is a natural ber, which tends to absorb high amounts of moisture after exposure to aqueous environments and this may lead to a higher degradation rate. This can

also be related to the weak bermatrix interface, due to water absorption after exposure to the aqueous environments.9 From the gure, it was found that there are some extraordinary increases in strength and modulus, during the immersion. This is due to the presence of glass ber in the hybrid composite. During immersion in the aqueous environments, all the voids and cracks within the composite would be lled with water, and the absorbed water molecules act as a plasticizer, to improve its bending strength and stiness.28 However, excessive water absorbed may weaken the bermatrix interface. On the other hand, the maximum exural strain changes unpredictably. Jute ber tends to be ductile once the loss of cellulose in its structure after water is absorbed into its structure and integrity has taken place.9 Glass ber showed one of its natural properties, which is a high resistance to water absorption. For comparison purposes, the exural properties for glass ber-reinforced unsaturated polyester-reinforced pultruded composite and jute ber-reinforced unsaturated polyester-pultruded composite, are shown in Figure 3(a)(c). The exural strength for polyester resin is shown in Figure 3(a).29 Both of the unsaturated polyester (UP)/glass and UP/jute samples are made of the same ber:matrix ratio i.e., 70:30, respectively. For UP/glass-pultruded composite exural properties, the data is obtained from standard samples i.e., without

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Figure 6. Stressstrain curves for compression specimen of juteglass fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester hybrid composite after exposed to (a) distilled water, (b) sea water, and (c) acidic solution.

any immersion process. This is because unsaturated polyester and glass ber are hydrophobic to moisture, and thus, do not absorb water. The 21-day period of immersion is too short for any signicant changes to the composites and its properties. On other hand, the UP/jute-pultruded composite exural properties are obtained after 21 days of immersion for each solution. By referring to Figure 3(a) the polyester resin show lower exural, compared to the UP/jute-pultruded composite and the hybrid-pultruded composites. The UP/glass-pultruded composite shows a higher exural strength. This statement is clearly proved and demonstrates that hybridization of jute ber with glass ber insignicantly enhanced the exural properties of the pultruded composites.

Effect of water absorption on compression properties

Figures 5(a)(c) show the variations of compression strength, maximum compression strain, and compression modulus for jute ber-reinforced unsaturated polyester composite, after exposure to distilled water, sea water, and acidic solutions, respectively. Each value represents the average data of three specimens. On

the other hand, Figure 6(a)(c), show the corresponding stressstrain curves for each environmental condition investigated (i.e., distilled water, sea water, and the acidic solution). Figure 5 indicates a trend of decrease in compression strength and compression modulus with an increasing immersion time. However, it was found that there are some extraordinary increases in strength and modulus, during the immersion. These compression results show a similar trend with the exural testing discussed in the above section. There are uctuations, as indicated by the error bars, causing variations in the results, which could be attributed to the uneven surfaces of the compression specimen. As a result, a slightly eccentric applied load will cause premature buckling in the composite materials, rather than the intrinsic compressive failure. This produced similar results to those discussed in exural testing. The compression properties for glass ber-reinforced unsaturated polyester-reinforced pultruded composite and jute ber-reinforced unsaturated polyester-pultruded composite are shown in Figure 5(a)(c), for comparison purposes. On the other hand, the compression strength for polyester resin is shown in Figure 5(a). Both of the UP/glass and UP/jute samples are made of

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10 the same ber:matrix ratio i.e., 70:30, respectively. For UP/Glass-pultruded composite compression properties, the data is obtained from the standard samples i.e., without any immersion process. The reason why this sample has been taken into account was discussed earlier. By referring to Figure 5(a), the polyester resin shows lower compression strength compared to the UP/jute-pultruded composite and hybrid-pultruded composites. Once again, the UP/glass-pultruded composite shows a higher compression strength compared to the other pultruded composites. This also clearly proves that hybridization of jute ber with glass ber insignicantly enhanced the mechanical properties of the pultruded composites.

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4. Wambua P, Ivens J and Verpoest I. Natural fibres: can they replace glass in fibre reinforced plastics? Compos Sci Technol 2003; 63(9): 12591264. 5. Nosbi N, Hazizan MA, Mohd Ishak ZA and Abu Bakar A. Degradation of compressive properties of pultruded kenaf fiber reinforced composites after immersion in various solutions. Mater Des 2010; 31(10): 49604964. 6. Jarukumjorn K and Suppakarn N. Effect of glass fiber hybridization on properties of sisal fiber-polypropylene composites. Composites Part B 2009; 40(7): 623627. 7. Akil H, Cheng LW, Mohd Ishak ZA, Abu Bakar A and Abd Rahman MA. Water absorption study on pultruded jute fibre reinforced unsaturated polyester composites. Compos Sci Technol 2009; 69(1112): 19421948. 8. Bledzki A and Gassan J. Composites reinforced with cellulose based fibres. Prog Polym Sci 1999; 24(2): 221274. 9. Dhakal H, Zhang Z and Richardson M. Effect of water absorption on the mechanical properties of hemp fibre reinforced unsaturated polyester composites. Compos Sci Technol 2007; 67(78): 16741683. 10. Aquino EMF, Sarmento LPS, Oliveira W and Silva RV. Moisture effect on degradation of jute/glass hybrid composites. J Reinf Plast Compos 2007; 26(2): 219233. 11. Athijayamani A, Thiruchitrambalam M, Natarajan U and Pazhanivel B. Effect of moisture absorption on the mechanical properties of randomly oriented natural fibers/polyester hybrid composite. Mater Sci Eng A 2009; 517(12): 344353. 12. Thwe M and Liao K. Effects of environmental aging on the mechanical properties of bamboo-glass fiber reinforced polymer matrix hybrid composites. Composites Part A 2002; 33(1): 4352. 13. Errajhi O, Osborne JRF, Richardson MOW and Dhakal HN. Water absorption characteristics of aluminised E-glass fibre reinforced unsaturated polyester composites. Compos Struct 2005; 71(34): 333336. 14. Weitsman Y. Anomalous fluid sorption in polymeric composites and its relation to fluid-induced damage. Composites Part A 2006; 37(4): 617623. 15. Sreekala M, George J, Kumaran MG and Thomas S. The mechanical performance of hybrid phenol-formaldehydebased composites reinforced with glass and oil palm fibres. Compos Sci Technol 2002; 62(3): 339353. 16. Liao K, Schultheisz CR and Hunston DL. Effects of environmental aging on the properties of pultruded GFRP. Composites Part B 1999; 30(5): 485493. stro 17. A m B. Manufacturing of polymer composites. Boca Raton, FL: CRC, 1997. 18. Starr T. Pultrusion for engineers. Cambridge UK: Woodhead Publishing, 2000. 19. Chow C, Xing X and Li R. Moisture absorption studies of sisal fibre reinforced polypropylene composites. Compos Sci Technol 2007; 67(2): 306313. 20. Shen C and Springer G. Moisture absorption and desorption of composite materials. J Compos Mater 1976; 10(1): 220. 21. Joseph P, Rabello MS, Mattoso LHC, Joseph K and Thomas S. Environmental effects on the degradation behaviour of sisal fibre reinforced polypropylene composites. Compos Sci Technol 2002; 62(1011): 13571372.

Conclusion
The study of water absorption eects, on the mechanical properties of jute/glass ber-reinforced unsaturated polyester hybrid composite, has been performed under dierent water conditions, which were distilled water, sea water, and acidic solutions at room temperature. From the results obtained, the following conclusions can be drawn: . The water absorption pattern is found to follow nonFickian behavior. The highest values of diusion coecient (D) and maximum moisture content value (Mm) were recorded for specimens immersed in distilled water, then followed by the acidic solution, and nally seawater. . Hybridization of natural bers with synthetic bers decreases the maximum moisture absorption and increases the mechanical properties of the composites.

Acknowledgment
The authors are grateful to Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM814023) for their assistance and contribution that has resulted in this article.

References
1. Panthapulakkal S and Sain M. Studies on the water absorption properties of short hempglass fiber hybrid polypropylene composites. J Compos Mater 2007; 41(15): 18711883. 2. Mishra S, Mohanty AK, Drzal LT, Misra M, Parija S, Nayak SK, et al. Studies on mechanical performance of biofibre/glass reinforced polyester hybrid composites. Compos Sci Technol 2003; 63(10): 13771385. 3. Velmurugan R and Manikandan V. Mechanical properties of palmyra/glass fiber hybrid composites. Composites Part A 2007; 38(10): 22162226.

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