Experimental Investigation On The Mechanical Properties of Green Hybrid Sisal and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites
Experimental Investigation On The Mechanical Properties of Green Hybrid Sisal and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites
Experimental Investigation On The Mechanical Properties of Green Hybrid Sisal and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites
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ABSTRAT KEYWORDS
Composites made from renewable sources have become important alternative Green composites;
materials for designing and manufacturing engineering and industrial pro- hybridization; mechanical
properties; natural fibers;
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实验研究绿色混合剑麻纤维和玻璃纤维增强聚合物复合材料的机械性能
来自可再生能源制成的复合材料已经成为设计和制造工程和工业产品的重
要替代材料。天然纤维复合材料已成为优良的材料,相对于传统的纤维复
合材料,由于其简单的制造工艺,高纤维含量,减少污染基含量,重量
轻,和焚烧。环境洁净的关注度,使越来越多的以寻找能取代现在正在使
用的常规材料可持续的替代材料。天然纤维是一种很好的替代增强材料,
因为它们容易在纤维状的形式,并且可以在非常低的成本提取。在本研究
中,环境友好的绿色复合材料的制备和这些复合材料的机械性能进行了评
价。结果表明在拉伸,弯曲显著改进,以及混杂复合的效果减少了对环境
的影响。使用扫描电子显微镜分析来分析破碎表面,纤维的脱层,以及未
能形态的内部结构。
Introduction
Natural fibers originated from plants, have been used for thousands of years; they are naturally
available resources, popular among consumers who are highly health conscious, and these fibers are
considered as valuable raw materials for many applications and have also found use in gardening, pulp
and paper, and cosmetic and food industries (Jakubowska, Bogacz, and Zimniewska 2012). The usage
of natural fiber–based composite materials is growing in the last years due to their specific properties,
clearly positive environmental impact, economical production and processing, and their safe handling
and working conditions (Biagiotti, Puglia, and Kenny 2004; Jakubowska, Bogacz, and Zimniewska
2012). Composites made from natural fibers are renewable, biodegradable, and have high content of
CONTACT K. Palanikumar [email protected] Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Sri Sai Ram Institute of
Technology, Sai Leo Nagar, Dharkast, Chennai 600 044, Tamilnadu, India.
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/wjnf.
© 2016 Taylor & Francis
322 K. PALANIKUMAR ET AL.
fiber that offers remarkable potential for applications in both industrial, construction materials
manufacturing (Meddahi, Tahar, and Bibi 2008; Jakubowska, Bogacz, and Zimniewska 2012; Omar
Faruk et al. 2012). The sisal fiber could compete with glass fiber in certain applications (Meddahi,
Tahar, and Bibi 2008). The strength of pure natural fiber composites is lower than that of the
conventional fiber composites; but the hybridization of natural fiber with glass fiber improves its
strength significantly (Jarukumjorn and Suppakarn 2009). Natural fiber composites will find more
application in the near future, and the interfacial adhesion between the fibers and the matrix will
remain the key issue in terms of overall the performance, since it dictates the final properties of the
composites (Faruk et al. 2012).
The tensile strengths of uncoated sisal fiber and sisal fibers coated with low-density polyethylene,
polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, polypropylene (PP), polyester, and araldite epoxy were evaluated, and the
results were compared by Chand and Joshi (2010). From the results, the uncoated sisal fiber composites
are seen to perform better than the other coated composites. The thermal conductivity of nonwoven sisal
fibers was evaluated by using a heat flow meter following the procedures described according to ABNT/
NBR 12.984(2000) and thickness of around 10 mm with mean temperature of 30ºC and found that it is a
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good insulating material. The thermogravimetric analysis was carried out over a temperature range of
30–600°C and found that the maximum temperature limit for natural fibers was 200°C and for sodium
hydroxide treated fibers 220°C (Neira and Marinho 2009). Advantages of natural fibers over the
conventional fibers are low cost of raw materials; the automobile industry began to apply natural fiber
composites in a variety of exterior and interior panel applications. The major problems in handling and
processing of natural fibers were high tool wear, moisture absorption, respiratory irritation, and other
health problems during processing, but they are used as an alternative reinforcing material for synthetic
fibers due to the increasing global energy crisis and environmental risks (Cheung et al. 2009; Ramesh
et al. 2013b). The other problems associated with the production of natural fiber composites were
compatibility with synthetic polymers, lack of dimensional stability, and problems with process ability
(Puglia, Biagiotti, and Kenny 2005; Palani Kumar and Sekaran 2014).
The chemical affinity between the natural fibers and polymeric matrices plays a vital role in the
performance of the composite materials, and to improve the adhesiveness, silica micro particles are
added to the polymer matrices (Silva et al. 2012b). The effects of the silica micro particles on the
mechanical properties of these composites were evaluated, and significant effects on the tensile and
flexural strength were found. The experiment has been carried out to investigate the mechanical and
physical properties of banana fibers reinforced epoxy composites, incorporated with silica micro
particles, by Silva et al. (2013). From the outcome of the experiment, it was found that the volume
fraction of the fiber and addition of silica micro particles affected the porosity, tensile strength,
modulus of elasticity, and flexural modulus of the composites.
Increasing environmental awareness and issues, related with greenhouse gases have resulted in
new biodegradable natural fiber–based materials as replacements in polymer matrix composites,
instead of nondegradable petroleum based products (Thakur, Singha, and Thakur 2012). The
tensile strength and modulus of a short, randomly oriented hybrid-natural fiber composite, were
found experimentally, and the results are compared by using the Rule of Hybrid Mixture (RoHM)
(Venkateshwaran et al. 2011; Venkateswaran, Elayaperumal, and Sathya 2013). The result indi-
cated that, the experimental values are slightly lower than the values calculated, by using the
RoHM equation. The sisal and glass fiber layers are impregnated with epoxy resin by applying heat
and pressure, and the composites were prepared. The mechanical properties of these hybrid
composites revealed that the sisal fiber could replace 84.5% of the glass fiber in the reinforcing
material with an equivalent range of tensile modulus (Hashmi et al. 2011). Sisal fiber and wood
flour reinforced composites were prepared by using bisphenolic and isophthalic thermosets, and
the mechanical and water absorption properties of these composites have been evaluated
(Marcovich et al. 2009). The results indicated improved interfacial adhesion, modulus, and
maximum stress for the composites.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL FIBERS 323
During the last decade, strong epoxy glue has been prepared, which has great potential in the field
of upgrading structures. Basically, the technique involves gluing steel plates or fiber reinforced
polymer plates on to the surface of the concrete; then these plates act compositely with the concrete
and carry loads (Pisanova and Mäder 2000). Sisal and oil palm fibers are incorporated into a natural
rubber matrix, and the influence of the fiber ratio of these composites is analyzed (John, Varughese,
and Thomas 2008). A positive effect is observed for the tensile properties, and the longitudinally
oriented composite samples showed better tensile properties than the transversely oriented ones. The
sisal and banana fibers based structural bio-composites, with the addition of silica micro particles
and maleic anhydride were developed, and the experimental results are generated through a DoE
approach by Silva et al. (2012a). From the experiment, they observed that, the banana fibers
exhibited higher stiffness than the sisal fibers; moreover, the sisal fibers showed higher tensile
strength than the banana fibers. They further identified that, the mechanical behavior under tensile
loading for both the natural fibers is similar, and the addition of maleic anhydride increases the
tensile strength and tenacity of the polymer.
The tensile and flexural properties of tri-layered oil palm empty fruit bunches/woven jute fiber
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reinforced epoxy composites have been evaluated, and compared with pure empty fruit bunches
fiber composites (Jawaid, Khalil, and Bakar 2011). They have fabricated sandwich composites by the
hand lay-up technique, and cured them at a temperature of 105°C for 1 h. The results indicated that
the tensile and flexural properties of pure empty fruit bunches composites improved by hybridiza-
tion with the woven jute fiber, and they also found that the tensile and flexural properties of the
hybrid composites are higher than those of the empty fruit bunches composite, but lesser than those
of the woven jute fiber composites.
The latest development in the use of composites is to protect man against fire, other impacts and
a tendency to have a more environmental friendly design, leading to the introduction of natural
fibers in composite technology. These include the process of extraction of fibers from the plants and
then the extracted fibers could be added alone with resin, or make the composites hybrid by
substituting industrial fibers. The treated palmyra leaf stalk fibers and jute fibers were used as
reinforcement in polyester matrix composites and the mechanical properties of these composites
were evaluated (Shanmugam and Thiruchitrambalam 2013). The fibers were aligned unidirectionally
in a bilayer arrangement, and the composites were fabricated by using the compression molding
process. It has been observed that, there is an increase in the tensile and flexural strengths of the jute
fiber composites, as compared to the treated palm leaf stalk fiber composites. Overall, the hybridiza-
tion is found to be efficient, showing increased static and dynamic mechanical properties.
Hybrid composites based on the borassus fruit fine fiber and PP were fabricated with different
fiber compositions of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% by weight, using the injection molding process
(Sudhakara et al. 2013). The mechanical properties were found to increase with 15% and 10% by
weight fiber loadings, and to decrease thereafter. Coir, jute, and sisal fiber composites were also
fabricated with 15% weight fiber loading under the same conditions, and the mechanical properties
were evaluated. The mechanical properties of the borassus fruit fiber/PP composites were equivalent
to those of jute/PP, sisal/PP, and superior to coir/PP composites. Jute/PP and sisal/PP composites
indicated higher water absorption than the borassus fruit fiber/PP and coir/PP composites. By
changing the direction of the fiber in the resin, the material properties can be modified to the
external loads. For instance, natural fiber composites combine a high stiffness and strength with a
low weight and their corrosion resistance is often excellent. Natural fibers with glass fiber reinforced
composites were finding increased applications in many fields and there is a significant improvement
in their mechanical properties (Ramesh et al. 2013b).
The experiment is carried out to investigate the impact behaviour of glass fiber reinforced polyester
composites (Badawy 2012). He has used a notched impact test specimen in the fiber directions of 0°, 45°,
and 90° and the fiber volume fraction of 16%, 23.2%, and 34.9%. The specimens were tested after
exposure to 1–3 h at the temperatures of −10, 20, 50, and 80°C, and it was found that the effect of
exposure temperature and fiber volume fraction on the impact strength depends on the parameter
324 K. PALANIKUMAR ET AL.
controlling the mode of failure. The comparative evaluation of the properties of hybrid sisal/jute and
glass fiber reinforced epoxy composites was carried out by Ramesh et al. (2013a). The results indicated
that the sisal/glass fibers reinforced composites exhibited superior properties than the jute/glass fibers
reinforced composites. The specifically designed material and process parameters were used to improve
the impact strength of natural fiber reinforced composites and the peak impact strength is found at the
processing temperatures of around 220 and 240°C (Mueller and Krobjilowski 2004).
In the present experimental investigation, sisal and glass fiber reinforced eco-friendly green compo-
sites are fabricated by the hand lay-up process and two types of specimens are prepared along the
longitudinal direction of the fiber and transverse direction of the fiber orientation. The mechanical
properties such as tensile, flexural, and impact strengths are evaluated. The results indicated that the
incorporation of sisal fibers with glass fiber improves the strengths significantly, and the process of
fabricating composites reduces the issues related to environmental concerns. It is suggested that these
environment friendly hybrid sisal-glass fiber green composites be used as alternative materials.
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Experimental
Materials
In the present investigation, sisal and glass fibers are used for the preparation of the hybrid composite
specimen. The sisal fiber thickness in terms of diameter is 160–230 µm and is supplied by Khadi Craft
Corporation of Tamil Nadu, India. The area weight of the unidirectionally woven glass fiber mat is 300
gsm, commercial grade epoxy resin Type: LY556, manufactured by Dycon Chemicals is used for the
fabrication. The glass fiber mat, catalyst Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide and accelerator Cobalt
Napthanate were purchased from M/s. Sakthi fiber glass, Chennai, India. The physical properties of
the materials used for the fabrication are presented in Table 1. (Silva et al. 2012a; Wang et al. 2013).
the plate is 30 × 30 cm and the thickness is restricted to 4 ± .02 mm. In the present study, the sisal and
glass fiber reinforced hybrid composites are prepared at a temperature of 30ºC, and at an average relative
humidity of 65%. The volume fractions of the composites were calculated through the weight percentage
and related density using the rule of mixture.
carried out for finding the flexural strength by using the same UTM. The deflection of the specimen is
measured, by using the crosshead position, by applying force until it fractures. The impact test samples
are prepared to the required dimension and the tests are carried out using a Charpy impact-testing
machine (Model: KI-300, S. No. 2013/1006, Make: Krystal Industries). During the testing process, the
specimen is loaded in the testing machine, and the pendulum is made to strike the samples with a heavy
impact load. The energy needed to break the material can be measured.
20% sisal fiber. Glass fibers carry more loads when compared to the sisal fibers. Even though the glass
fibers perform well, sisal fibers can be used as a reinforcing material due to the environmental aspects.
Figure 3. Sample stress strain curve generated directly from the machine due to flexural loading.
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glass fibers perform better than the sisal fibers. According to the requirement, if the flexural strength is less,
sisal fibers available in nature can be considered as the reinforcing fibers. Figure 3 shows the sample stress
strain curve generated from the machine during flexural loading for the sample containing 80% glass fiber
and 20% sisal fiber. From the figure, it is clearly seen that the stress increases upto 3.8 N/mm2 for the strain
of 0.16, and after that it starts to decrease due to the breaking of the sample.
also indicated that the increase of sisal fiber percentage decreases the impact energy for the
transverse samples, whereas a varying trend is observed for the longitudinal fibers.
The SEM images of the composites containing 70% glass fiber and 30% sisal fiber that underwent
flexural loading in both the longitudinal and transverse directions of the fibers are given in Figure 6(a)
Figure 5. SEM images of the composite samples subjected to tensile loading (a) longitudinal direction and (b) transverse direction.
Figure 6. SEM images of the composite samples subjected to flexural loading (a) longitudinal direction and (b) transverse
direction.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL FIBERS 329
Figure 7. SEM images of the composite samples subjected to impact loading (a) longitudinal direction and (b) transverse direction.
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and (b). Figure 6(a) shows the directional orientation of the fibers and fiber pullout due to flexural
loading. Since the specimen is compressed, the fracture takes place after it reaches the yield point, the
breakage is not like in the tensile specimen. The fractured surfaces of the fiber, fiber dispersion into the
matrix and the layer arrangement are visible in Figure 6(b). In comparing Figure 6(a) and (b), the damage
is more in the case of fibers having a transverse orientation. The figures also indicate the matrix failure
and fiber debonding due to the compressive loading on the specimen.
Figure 7(a) and (b) show the SEM images of the specimen containing 80% glass fiber and 20%
sisal fiber subjected to impact loading. The images show that there is a fiber breakage and matrix
debonding, and voids are formed inside the surface of the specimen. This is due to the load applied
on the specimen and its fiber orientation. From the analysis of the SEM images, it has been clearly
seen that there is a fiber dislocation, fiber pullout along the longitudinal direction of the fibers, and
breakage of fibers in the transverse direction of the fibers.
Conclusion
In the present investigation, sisal and glass fiber reinforced hybrid composite samples are fabricated
by using the hand lay-up technique, and the specimens are prepared with fibers in the longitudinal
and transverse directions. The samples are subjected to tensile, flexural, and impact loading. From
the analysis of the results, the following conclusions are drawn:
(1) According to the direction, the composite samples perform better in the longitudinal
direction than in the transverse direction, and as per the fiber content, 20% sisal fiber
with 80% glass fiber composites perform better for tensile loading, and pure glass fiber
composites perform better for flexural loading.
(2) The maximum tensile strength absorbed by the pure glass fiber reinforced sample is 181.84
MPa, and the maximum flexural strength is 288.80 MPa.
(3) The maximum impact strength is observed for 80% glass fiber and 20% sisal fiber reinforced
hybrid composite sample, and it holds the value of 18.4 J.
(4) From the SEM images, fiber breakage, the directional orientation of the fiber, interfacial
bonding between the fiber and the matrix, fiber pullout, dislocation of the fibers due to
loading, matrix breakage, and dispersion of the fiber into the resin are clearly observed.
● From the results, it is concluded that these sisal and glass fiber reinforced eco-friendly hybrid
composites are used as an alternative material for pure synthetic fiber reinforced composites.
330 K. PALANIKUMAR ET AL.
ORCID
K. Palanikumar http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1883-5105
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