Effects of fiber length on the performance of piassava-reinforced epoxy composites

Abstract

Investigation of lignocellulosic fibers in polymeric composites is important for development of green technologies, to reduce the weight and cost of materials and reduce pollutant emissions. In this work, the influence of piassava fiber length was evaluated to verify the mechanical response when incorporated in fiber-reinforced epoxy composites containing 20% piassava. Raw fibers were cut manually to lengths of 10, 20, and 30 mm. Tensile and flexural properties of the fiber-reinforced composites were compared. An increase in the fiber length was associated with higher tensile and flexural moduli and strength of piassava–epoxy composites, leading to stiffer and lesser ductile material.

Modeling the mechanical behavior of epoxy Curaua reinforced composites

“…The flexural strength and modulus increased from 24 h to 72 h and then decreased after 168 h, and tend to increase with the higher NaOH concentrations. But compared to the untreated fiber experiment from the previous work, 11 the maximum flexural strength did not improve very much. The maximum value, after 72 h of treatment with a 3% NaOH solution, was 9% higher than the value of 60.66 MPa for the untreated fiber composite.…”

“…In the previous study, the fiber without treatment had E’ = 3.29 GPa, E’’ = 0.325 GPa, and Tg = 94.9°C. 11 The Tg decreased, suggesting weaker bond between the microstructure of the phases. 39 When mixing the fibers in the epoxy, the composite structure becomes looser.…”

“…From an engineering point of view, they have low density and good performance, while from an economic standpoint, they have low cost. 11,12…”

“…[8][9][10] Those fibers can be replaced by natural fibers, which can still afford good material properties, but with less environment impact. 11,12 Natural fibers, from animals, minerals, or plants, have gained attention to replace synthetic ones. Plant-based fibers can often be used directly after harvest, or with minimal modification, thus demanding less industrial processing for final usage.…”

“…From an engineering point of view, they have low density and good performance, while from an economic standpoint, they have low cost. 11,12 Curaua (Ananas erectifolius) is a plant from the pineapple family that can be easily found in Brazil. [13][14][15] During harvest of the fruit, the main parts of the leaves are discarded by most farmers was unwanted waste.…”