35 research outputs found
Review of natural fibre-reinforced hybrid composites
Natural fibre-reinforced hybrid composites which contain one or more types of natural reinforcement are gaining increasing research interest. This paper presents a review of natural fibre-reinforced hybrid composites. Both thermoplastic and thermoset composites reinforced by hybrid/synthetic fibres or hybrid/hybrid fibres are reviewed. The properties of natural fibres, the properties and processing of composites are summarised
Influence of glass and sisal fibers on the cure kinetics of unsaturated polyester resin
Effect of fibre length and chemical modifications on the tensile properties of intimately mixed short sisal/glass hybrid fibre reinforced low density polyethylene composites
Abstract: Hybrid composites prepared by the incorporation of two or more different types of fibres into
a single polymer matrix deserve much attention. This method of hybridisation of composites offers a
profitable procedure for the fabrication of products while the resulting materials are noted for their
high specific strength, modulus and thermal stability. The influence of the relative composition of short
sisal/glass fibres, their length and distribution on the tensile properties of short sisal/glass intimatelymixed
polyethylene composites (SGRP) was examined. Different compositions of sisal and glass such as 70/30,
50/50 and 30/70 have been prepared with varying fibre lengths in the range of 1â10mm. Emphasis has also
been given to the variation of fibreâmatrix adhesion with several fibre chemical modifications. Chemical
surface modifications such as alkali, acetic anhydride, stearic acid, permanganate, maleic anhydride,
silane and peroxides given to the fibres and matrix were found to be successful in improving the interfacial
adhesion and compatibility between the fibre and matrix. The nature and extent of chemicalmodifications
were analysed by infrared spectroscopy while improvement in fibreâmatrix adhesion was checked by
studying the fractography of composite samples using a scanning electron microscope. Assessment of
water retention values has been found to be a successful tool to characterize the surface of the stearic
acid modified fibres. It was found that the extent of improvement in tensile properties of SGRP varied
with respect to the nature of chemical modifications between fibre and matrix. Improved mechanical
anchoring and physical and chemical bonding between fibre and polyethylene matrix are supposed to be
the reasons for superior tensile strength and Youngâs modulus in treated composites. Several secondary
reasons such as high degree of fibre dispersion and reduced hydrophilicity in chemically modified fibres
also are believed to play a role. Among the various chemical modifications, the best tensile strength
and modulus was exhibited by the SGRP with benzoyl peroxide treated fibres. This is attributed to the
peroxide-initiated grafting of polyethylene on to the fibres.
2004 Society of Chemical Industr