Mechanical behavior and water absorption in sisal/glass hybrid composites

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the effect of hybridization on thermomechanical properties and water absorption of composite materials, by introducing sisal fiber tissue into the material. To that end, two composite material plates were manufactured, the first with five layers of E-glass reinforcement mat and the second with three layers of E-glass fiber interspersed with two layers of sisal fibers, both used as an orthophthalic polyester resin matrix. The material was then submitted to tensile, three-point bending and water absorption tests. It was observed that hybridization causes a change in both the final strength and stiffness of the material.

Research on hybrid sisal/glass composites: A review

“…Da Silva et al. 64 came to the conclusion that in the composites studied in the dry state, there was a good adhesion between the fiber and the matrix, and in the wet state, it did not have this great adhesion. Ferreira et al.…”

“…Researchers performed several studies on this hybrid composite of sisal/glass with different matrices (epoxy, polyester, polyethylene, and polypropylene (PP)) in different compositions, fiber sizes, orientations, and treatments, prepared with some techniques of manufacture (hand lay-up, compression molded, extrusion machine, press consolidation, solution mixing, resin transfer molding, and injection molding), analyzing several properties (mechanical, water absorption, thermal, rheological, dynamic mechanical, tribological, chemical, electrical, and morphological). 28–65…”

“…Da Silva et al. 64 studied E-glass fiber laminates interspersed with sisal fibers, under wet and dry conditions, in their mechanical properties, along with microscopic analyses in the fracture region.…”

“…Da Silva et al. 64 reported that the addition of sisal fiber in a glass fiber-only laminate, turning into a hybrid sisal/glass composite, reduces strength (37%, 53.7%) and modulus (52.6%, 51.9%) to tensile of this new composite and increases the elongation at break (109.8%, 42%), to the dry and wet state, respectively.…”

“…Da Silva et al. 64 found that by hybridizing a glass fiber-only composite with sisal fibers, it generates an increase in water absorption in the resulting hybrid. Table 9 shows the results obtained on the water absorption property of sisal/glass hybrid composites.…”