Sisal fiber reinforced polyethylene terephthalate composites; Fabrication, characterization and possible application

Abstract

The use of thermoplastics (TPs) for natural fiber composites is restricted to commodity ones like polypropylene and polyethylene However, using engineered TPs such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) will benefit from its technical and economic advantages. The research aims to characterize injection molded PET composites reinforced with sisal fibers treated differently. Polyethylene terephthalate composites containing 40 wt.% of untreated, alkaline-treated, and alkali/acetylation treated sisal fibers were prepared using compounding and injection molding processes and then characterized. It has been found that production of sisal-PET composites by compounding and injection molding has been shown to be possible. Thermal damage to sisal fiber was noticed during composite production. Based on the thermogravimetric analysis analysis, a net weight loss (excluding water loss) of 11.1%–14.0% was observed at the operating temperatures of the two processes. The addition of 40 wt.% of sisal to the PET matrix improved the tensile modulus by 137%. Further improvement by 179% was observed when alkali-treated sisal fiber was used. The combined alkali/acetylation treatment of sisal yields more enhancement by 233%. This is a significant advancement because modulus is the most influential parameter during the design and service of an engineering product. Generally, compared to the raw sisal composite (RSC) the interfacial, mechanical, thermal, and water absorption properties of the alkali treated sisal composite (Al-SC) and alkali/acetylated sisal composite (Al-ASC) specimens recorded an improvement. Relative to the natural fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites that were commercialized in the automotive industry, the produced sisal–PET composites resulted in a considerable improvement of 66.6%–190% in flexural strength and by 110.5%–410.0% in flexural modulus, depending on sisal fiber treatment and the composite to be compared. Thus, the studied composites can be recommended for various parts of automobiles.

Chemical extraction and its effect on the properties of cordleaf burbark (Triumfetta cordifolia A. rich) fibres for the manufacture of textile yarns

“…Furthermore, the hemicellulose content of the studied fibres is at least 17 wt%, which is about 3 and 8 times higher than that ( Table 2 ) of jute and cotton, respectively. This high hemicellulose content could make the fibres hydrophilic, which is interesting for the development of absorbent textile fabrics [ 23 ], but a major drawback for the interlocking of the fibres with polymer matrices [ 11 , 33 ]. For the lignin content, which makes the fibres stiff, the values found in this study are interesting, as they are lower than those found for fibres already used for the manufacture of placemats such as soda degummed jute [ 1 ] and banana [ 11 ].…”

The capability of ABAQUS/CAE to predict the tensile properties of sisal fiber reinforced polyethylene terephthalate composites

“…As studied in a separate paper by the same researchers, 38 a composite with better mechanical, thermal and water uptake properties was produced from sisal fiber and PET polymer by injection molding. There are no literature or experimental trials concerning the injection molding of sisal or any NF with PET, an engineering TP.…”

“…However, it can be understood from 38 that injection molding of natural fibers with PET is possible with some thermal effects on the fiber which could lead researchers to further investigate on the mechanisms to improve the thermal properties of sisal and other natural fibers.…”

Synergistic effect of Sisal Fiber reinforcement and Boric acid cross-linking on the properties of PVA

“…Then, the extracted bers were sun-dried, which whitened the ber. Once dried, the sisal bers were ready for the preparation of samples [19]. The extraction process of sisal ber is shown in Fig.…”