Flexural Behavior of Epoxy Matrix Composites Reinforced with Malva Fiber

Abstract

Polymer composites reinforced with natural fibers have been increasingly investigated and applied as engineering materials owing to their economical, technical, societal and environmental advantages. The malva fiber, particularly an important resource in the Amazon region in Brazil, only recently begin to be investigated as possible composite reinforcement for engineering application. However, the mechanical properties of composites reinforced with malva fiber are still unknown. In this paper, the flexural behavior of epoxy matrix composites reinforced with continuous malva fiber was for the first time investigated. Specimens of continuous malva fibers aligned along an epoxy matrix were press-molded. Three-points bending test were performed and the fractured specimens were analyzed by SEM. The results showed a marked improvement in the composites flexural properties with the increase in the amount of reinforced malva fiber. This improvement was found to match the Rule of Mixtures, which revealed the unique potential of malva composites for engineering applications.

Curing Kinetic Parameters of Epoxy Composite Reinforced with Mallow Fibers

“…stand out due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and very low cost. These fibers are produced in local communities in the Brazilian part of the Amazon forest [22].…”

“…In the production of epoxy matrix composites reinforced with natural fibers [10,11,12,13,14], after mixing the polymer and the fibers in the desired ratio, the conventional curing time used is 24 hours [15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24]. However, this time may be significantly different from that required for the complete curing reaction of the polymer matrix and therefore of the composite to be manufactured.…”

“…In the present work, the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis was performed to evaluate if the total curing time of the epoxy resin could be less than the previously reported time of 24 h [15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24]. This would optimize the availability of equipment such as presses and metal molds, as well as reduce the total production costs.…”

Natural Fibers as Viable Sources for the Development of Structural, Semi-Structural, and Technological Materials – A Review

“…Also, with improved mechanical properties (high specific tensile strength, durability and high toughness values), the fibers possess very essential properties for applications in automotive and aerospace industries. Margem et al, [87] studied the flexural performance of urenalobata fiber reinforced epoxy composite. The results obtained showed that the flexural properties of the composites improved significantly as the amount of reinforced urenalobata fibers increased.…”

Polyester Composites Reinforced With Maleic Anhydride-Treated Filaments From Mauve

“…Furthermore, the effect of mauve fiber morphologies and chemistry on the performance of the unsaturated polyester based composites was rarely reported in the literature. Margem et al (2015) investigated the effect of mauve incorporation (up 30%) in an epoxy matrix. But only the flexural behavior was investigated.…”