The dynamic-mechanical behavior of epoxy matrix composites reinforced with ramie fibers

Abstract

The exceptional tensile strength of ramie fiber has motivated investigations on its application as reinforcement in polymeric composites. In this study the temperature variation of the dynamic-mechanical parameters of epoxy matrix composites incorporated with up to 30% in volume of ramie fiber were investigated by DMA tests. The parameters were the storage modulus, loss modulus and tangent delta. The investigation was conducted in the temperature from 20 to 200°C in an equipment operating in its flexural mode at 1 Hz under nitrogen. The results showed that the incorporation of ramie fiber tends to increase the viscoelastic stiffness of the epoxy matrix. It was also observed sensible changes in the structure damping capacity when the fraction of fiber is increased in the composite. These results indicate that the segmental mobility of the epoxy chains is affected by interaction with ramie fibers in the composite.

Natural Lignocellulosic Fibers as Engineering Materials—An Overview

“…[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] The statistical distribution of diameters was based on 100 randomly picked fibers from the lots. For each type of fiber overviewed in the PW, histograms corresponding to the frequency of diameter distribution were obtained [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] and reproduced in Figure 3. Diameters and cross-sectional areas along the fiber length were evaluated by means of profile projector measurements.…”

“…[8] For palmirah fibers, the strength and the elongation decreased with the test length. [9] Recent works [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] have shown that not only pineapple but also many LCF species display an inverse correlation between the fiber diameter and its tensile strength. This appears to be a common feature to all fibers owing to the role played by microstructural defects and an intrinsic statistical distribution of microfibril strength.…”

“…This appears to be a common feature to all fibers owing to the role played by microstructural defects and an intrinsic statistical distribution of microfibril strength. [12][13][14][15][16] As a consequence of the inverse correlation, tensile strengths comparable to or even above those attained by conventional high-strength lowalloy steels were exhibited by several LCFs with the additional advantage of a much lower density. Previous works [4,[20][21][22] reported on relatively high tensile strengths for a restricted number of LCFs; however, no systematic investigation was attempted to characterize a location or field of properties associated with a corresponding class of engineering material.…”

Preparation and characterization of ramie-glass fiber reinforced polymer matrix hybrid composites

“…A wide range of fibers can be applied as reinforcement, including cotton, flax, hemp, ramie, sisal, jute, banana, bamboo, curaua and buriti [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] . Actually, ramie textile applications have been replaced by synthetic fibers, mainly in clothes 2 . So, the motivation of this work is to study ramie fiber as composite reinforcement, with the concern to, in the future, maintain the culture of the fiber in the country.…”

“…(%)) 9 . In relation to mechanical properties, Margem et al 2 reported that the exceptional tensile strength of ramie fiber (in comparison with other natural fibers) has motivated researches on its application in polymer composites.…”