SISAL

About: SISAL is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1878 publications have been published within this topic receiving 55528 citations.

Impact of Surface Modification and Nanoparticle on Sisal Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Nanocomposites

Abstract: The use of plant fibers, polymer, and nanoparticles for composite has gained global attention, especially in the packaging, automobile, aviation, building, and construction industries. Nanocomposites materials are currently in use as a replacement for traditional materials due to their superior properties, such as high strength-to-weight ratio, cost effectiveness, and environmental friendliness. Sisal fiber (SF) was treated with 5% NaOH for 2 hours at 70°C. A mixed blend of sisal fiber and recycled polypropylene (rPP) was produced at four different fiber loadings: 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt.%, while nanoclay was added at 1, 3, and 5 wt.%. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) was used as the compatibilizer for all composites prepared except the untreated sisal fibers. The characterization results showed that the fiber treatment, addition of MAPP, and nanoclay improved the mechanical properties and thermal stability and reduced water absorption of the SF/rPP nanocomposites. The tensile strength, tensile modulus, and impact strength increased by 32.80, 37.62, and 5.48%, respectively, when compared to the untreated SF/rPP composites. Water absorption was reduced due to the treatment of fiber and the incorporation of MAPP and nanoclay.

Mechanical, thermal and water absorption properties of hybrid sisal/jute fiber reinforced polymer composite

Abstract: In the present work, mechanical, thermal and water absorption properties of hybrid sisal/jute fiber reinforced polymer composite have been investigated. Hybrid composites are prepared by hand lay-up technique keeping constant 30 wt% of total fibers content with various weight ratios of jute and sisal fibers. Mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact are investigated as per ASTM standards. Tensile and flexural test are carried out using Tinius Olsen H 10 K-L Universal Testing Machine with cross head speed of 2 mm/min. In addition, impact test is carried out using Tinius Olsen Impact 104 machine as per ASTM D 256. Thermal stability of prepared composites is obtained using Perkin Elmer TGA 4000 apparatus within temperature 30C 800C in nitrogen atmosphere. Water absorption test is carried out as per ASTM D570 to obtain the maximum water uptake, sorption, diffusion and permeability coefficient. Moreover, morphological analysis is carried out to observe the fracture behavior and fiber pull out of the composite samples using scanning electron microscope. The results indicate that hybrid composite having 50% jute and 50% sisal (J50S50) has higher mechanical and thermal property and lower water absorption property than jute, sisal and other hybrid composites. For further improvement in the property of hybrid composite J50S50, alkali treatment of fibers is carried out and its positive effect is observed in terms of increase in mechanical and thermal properties and decrease in water absorption properties. The present prepared composite can be used in packaging, light weight automotive parts and construction applications.

Performance of Sisal/Hemp Bio-based Epoxy Composites Under Accelerated Weathering

Abstract: The biocomposites were produced by layering sequence of pure sisal fiber mat (SSSS), pure hemp fiber mat (HHHH), and their hybrid mats and then subjected to accelerated weathering conditions. The composite specimens were conditioned under ultraviolet (UV) light and water spray simultaneously for 2222 h, which corresponds to approximately 1 year of the outdoor conditions. Mechanical properties and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the weathered composites were compared to the dry or unweathered composites. Chemical changes to the bio-based epoxy matrix and natural fiber induced by photodegradation were evident as a reduction in intensity and broadening of characteristic peaks from the Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. Tensile strength and flexural strength of the weathered HSSH and HSHS declined by 7%, 13%, 25%, and 26%, respectively. Degradation effects of weathering were also visible from the lower residue of the weathered composite specimens from the thermogravimetric analysis. Despite the slight drop in impact strength, all the weathered composite specimens had good impact resistance. Furthermore, the hybrid composites exposed to weathering had nearly equivalent impact strength compared to the pure sisal and hemp-based composites under the impact load. Based on this observation, sisal/hemp fiber bio-epoxy based hybrid composites are recommended for the outdoor structural applications requiring impact resistance.

Thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of bio-based poly(furfuryl alcohol)/sisal whiskers nanocomposites

Abstract: In this study, bio-based nanocomposites of sisal whiskers-reinforced poly(furfuryl alcohol) (PFA) were prepared using an in situ polymerization method. Furfuryl alcohol (FA), which is a derived renewable monomer, was used to serve first as a solvent to disperse the whiskers and later as a monomeric precursor to produce PFA. Sisal whiskers were prepared via acid hydrolysis, which was followed by freeze-drying and re-dispersion of the dried whiskers in FA by sonication for 20 min. The polymerization process was catalysed using citric acid, which is also a renewable carboxylic acid found in citrus fruits. The effect of increased sisal whiskers loading on the thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of the nanocomposites was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The TGA results showed slightly higher thermal stability for the nanocomposite samples compared to neat PFA. The DMA results showed that the incorporation of sisal whiskers imparts significant enhancement in the storage modulus of the PFA matrix. Moreover, the intensity of the tan δ peak at ~75 °C for the nanocomposites was remarkably reduced compared to that of neat PFA.

Development of sandwich panels combining Sisal Fiber-Cement Composites and Fiber-Reinforced Lightweight Concrete

Abstract: This research proposes the development of an innovative structural panels based on the use of thin outer layers of Sisal Fiber-Cement Composites (SiFCC) together with a core layer of Polypropylene Fiber-Reinforced Lightweight Concrete (PFRLC). The influence of sisal fibers was studied in two different ways, short sisal fibers (50 mm) randomly distributed in the matrix, and long unidirectional aligned sisal fibers (700 mm) applied by a cast hand layup technique. Lightweight aggregates and polypropylene fibers were used in the concrete layer forming the panel's core in order to reduce its density and improve its post-cracking tensile strength and energy absorption capacity. The behavior of the sandwich panels in four-point bending test is described, and the various failure mechanisms are reported. Mechanical properties of both SiFCC and PFRLC were obtained, which were also used in the numerical simulations. Pull-off tests were performed to evaluate the bond strength between the outer SiFCC layers and the core PFRLC. The results revealed that the long sisal fibers were more effective in terms of providing to the panel higher flexural capacity than when using short sisal fibers, long fibers ensured the development of a deflection hardening behavior followed by the formation of multiple cracks, while short sisal fibers promoted a softening response after cracking.