SISAL

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

Flexural, Compressive, and Interlaminar Shear Strength Properties of Kapok/Glass Composites:

Abstract: The unsaturated polyester-based hybrid composites were developed by combining the kapok and glass fabrics into polyester matrix. This study describes the flexural, compressive, and interlaminar shear resistance properties of kapok/glass polyester composites with and without alkali treatment of fabrics. These properties increase with increasing glass fabric content in composite. The mechanical performance of kapok/glass composites is excellent. The kapok/glass hybrid composites exhibited higher flexural and compressive values than sisal/glass and kapok/sisal composites.

Plastics and Composites from Lignophenols

Abstract: Alkali and ionized air treated and untreated lignocellulosic fibers, such as sisal, jute and curaua, were used to reinforce phenolic and lignophenolic matrix materials. The results favor sisal fiber for its excellent performance as a reinforcing agent of phenolic and lignophenolic matrices, increasing the impact strength up to 35 fold in relation to that obtained with thermoset composites. The use of lignin as a partial substitute for phenol in closed cell lignophenolic foams reduces the thermal conductivity and allows classifying the lignophenolic foam as a thermal isolating structural foam.

Dynamic and steady state viscoelastic behavior and morphology of MAPP treated PP/sisal composites

Abstract: The present paper summarizes an experimental study on the molten viscoelastic behavior of PP/sisal composites under steady and dynamic state. Variations in melt viscosity and die swell of the composites with an increase in shear rate, fibre loading and coupling agent concentration have been investigated using capillary rheometer. It was observed that with the addition of sisal fibers and MAPP, the melt viscosity of the composites increased due to improved fiber–matrix interfacial adhesion. Further the dynamic viscoelastic behavior measured, employing parallel plate rheometer revealed an increase in the storage modulus ( G ′) indicating higher stiffness in case of fibre filled composites as compared with the virgin matrix. Time temperature superposition was applied to generate various viscoelastic master curves. The fiber–matrix morphology of the extrudates was also examined using scanning electron microscopy, which corroborated the findings of the rheological properties. The extrudate cross sections of the composites displayed uniform distribution of fibers within the PP matrix with lesser surface irregularities at high shear rates.

Bacterial cellulose production by Komagataeibacter hansenii ATCC 23769 using sisal juice: an agroindustry waste.

Abstract: In this study, we have optimized production of bacterial cellulose (BC) by Komagataeibacter hansenii ATCC 23769 in a static cultivation using sisal juice, an agroindustrial residue, as substrate. Optimization of fermentation parameters has been carried out using the one-variable-at-a-time method. Effect of initial sugar concentration, pH, nitrogen supplement, and cultivation time was evaluated. The influence of nitrogen source and quantity for bacterial cellulose production was studied using a central composite rotational design (CCRD).The highest production of BC (3.38 g/L) was obtained after 10 days of cultivation, using sisal juice (pH 5) at 15 g/L of sugars and supplemented with 7.5 g/L of extract yeast. The cellulose production yield in selected sisal culture conditions was three times higher than the yield in synthetic medium, indicating that sisal juice is a suitable substrate for BC production.

Characterization and treatments of pineapple leaf fibre thermoplastic composite for construction application

Abstract: In recent years natural fibres appear to be the outstanding materials which come as the viable and abundant substitute for the expensive and nonrenewable synthetic fibre. Natural fibres like sisal, banana, jute, oil plam, kenaf and coir has been used as reinforcement in thermoplastic composite for applications in consumer goods, furniture, low cost housing and civil structures. Pineapple leaf fibre (PALF) is one of them that have also good potential as reinforcement in thermoplastic composite. It is the objective of the current research to characterize PALF and to investigate the effect of fibre treatment on the mechanical properties of PALF reinforced polypropylene (PP) composite. PALF was prepared from raw pineapple leaf. It was then chemically treated to hinder the water content. Both PP and PALF were compounded using two-roll mill machine prior to compression moulding via hot press machine to form a sheet. After forming the composite sheet, samples were prepared for tensile test (ASTM D638), flexural test (ASTM D790) and impact test (ASTM D256). Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to investigate the miscibility between the fibre and matrix. It was found that PALF contain 87.56% holocellulose, 78.11% alpha cellulose, 9.45% hemicellulose and 4.78 % lignin. The chemical constituents obtained were in the range to data reported in literatures. It was also observed that the flexural modulus and strength of treated PALF reinforced PP composite increased linearly with increment of fibre loadings. This trend was similar for impact strength where it exhibited a slight reduction at the initial stage but increased later as the fibre loading increased. The study has demonstrated that the optimum fibre loading for the best performance of the composite achieved was 30 wt%. This was clarified further by SEM where fibres and matrix have shown better miscibility at 30 wt% of treated PALF.