Most of the studies investigating degradation in mechanical
properties on WPC materials due to water absorption were conducted
on saturated specimens. Only few studies focused on examining
the rate of degradation of mechanical properties with respect to water uptake. Being able to model the absorption behavior as a
function of time and temperature and relating it to the rate of degradation
could be useful not only in understanding the damage
mechanisms, but also in finding how to minimize the water uptake
and damage accumulation. Therefore, it becomes imperative to
conduct long term water absorption tests on WPC material and
study its effect on the mechanical properties.