Biodegradation of Emu Feather Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites

Abstract

A composite is usually made up of at least two materials out of which one is binding material called as matrix and other is a reinforcement material known as fiber. For the past ten years research is going on to explore possible composites with natural fiber like plant fibers and animal fibers. The important characteristics of composites are their strength, hardness light in weight. In the present work, composites were prepared with epoxy (Araldite LY-556) as resin and 'emu' bird feathers as fiber have been tested for chemical resistance. The composites were prepared by varying the weight percentage (P) of 'emu' fiber ranging from 1 to 5 and length (L) of feather fibers from 1 to 5 cm. The composites thus prepared were exposed to Atmosphere and buried under Earth. Observations were plotted and studied. The results reveal that there will be weight gain for all the samples including pure epoxy after three months, when buried under Earth. Weight loss was observed for all the samples including pure epoxy when exposed to Atmosphere.