Thermal and Chemical Performance Evaluation of Thevetia peruviana Oil-Based Composites Reinforced with Short Sisal Fibers

Abstract

Thermal properties and chemical performance of newly developed Thevetia peruviana oil-based (TPO) bio-composites with short sisal fibers reinforcement were studied in this research, with the aim of producing materials derived from renewable resources for engineering applications. Three sets of TPO composites (5C, 10C and 15C) reinforced with sisal fibers 5, 10 and 15 wt% respectively were produced by compression moulding method. Thermographic analyser (TGA) was used to determine the thermal behavior of the new composites and the results showed that the composites thermal stability behavior increase with fiber loading. 5% degradation temperature (T5) and 10% degradation temperature (T10) of the new composites increased from 300 to 312 0C and from 338 to 419 0C, respectively. The char value of 8.264 of the unreinforced resin reduced on the addition of 5 wt% of fiber while there were enhancements in the char values of composites reinforced with 10 wt% and 15 wt% fiber. The chemical resistance and water absorption tests showed that the percentage gain/loss of the composites in all the reagents are negligible, with composite 5C showing superior resistance in all the media. The results showed that the newly produced bio-composites is a potential material for storage vessels production.