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Concrete is the ones with compression strongness and weakness in tension. In such a case, reinforcement to the concrete is needed. Primarily steel is utilized as reinforced material. In recent times many industrials and researchers are in the process of finding an alternative material for steel. So studies and research are conducted in the field of artificial fiber. But in this research, more focus is given on natural fiber because these fibers are naturally available. The used fiber for reinforcement is known as the SISAL Fiber [SF], considered the alternative material in mount. The chemical, physical, and structural properties of the fibers are studied in detail. Analyzing the SF showed that the reinforced composite of the sisal fiber is well-grounded in civil and rural construction structural elements. This can be utilized as an alternative to steel since steel materials are hazardous to humans as well as animals. The SF production is compared with synthetic fibers and with mineral asbestos. This sisal fiber is considered the one which is economical in production with social and economic benefit.

In this research work replacement of steel with bamboo with the addition of sisal fiber is completed. A lab-based physical mold was made for this research work. Many sorts of materials were experimented with for replacing steel with bamboo which is a good quality of bamboo, touchwood for waterproofing of bamboo, sisal fiber, and steel for steel reinforcement. Bamboo could also be a flexible material thanks to its easy availability. Due to straight forward availability of bamboo, it was used as reinforcement. And by the addition of sisal fiber, it is found that it gives more strength to the development, during this study we checked while changes were made in samples or not by the addition of sisal fiber. In today's era, the environment is promoted, and by using sustainable things bamboo is used as a sustainable and economic material, and then it can be used and more in construction sites. This study is also important because it is clear that in the future there will be more important to such a material which is easily available and economic too. This study is about the use of bamboo more and more on construction sites in present and the future. To know that bamboo reinforcement May or may not be used in place of steel, I made some samples of bamboo reinforcement concrete beams and tested them to know whether they can be used or not. There have been many discussions on this topic done in the past and people have discussed it in a very beautiful way. But what makes this study different is that no one has used sisal fiber with bamboo reinforcement before today. And I took advantage of this, learning from others' discussions, mixing sisal fiber with bamboo reinforcement, preparing samples, and doing tests on them.

Sisal fibers are reported to have outstanding textile properties including high strength, absorbency, good dye uptake, exceptional durability and abundant availability suggesting their potential in...

Background: Concrete made using sugarcane bagasse ash as a cement replacement is associated with a reduction in split tensile strength and therefore a need to establish the possible causes of tensile strength reduction and explore ways of mitigating that reduction. Objective: The aim of this study is to establish the possible causes of tensile strength reduction in sugarcane bagasse ash concrete and determine the effect of sisal fiber addition on its mechanical properties. Methods: Scanning Electron Microscopy was first done to analyse concrete microstructure in establishing the possible causes of tensile strength reduction in sugarcane bagasse ash concrete. Thereafter, sisal fiber addition was done by varying aspect ratios and percentages. The effect of the addition was determined on the mechanical properties of bagasse ash concrete accompanied by microstructure studies on extracted fibers and split surfaces of concrete. Results: Concrete microstructure studies revealed that wider cracks due to drying shrinkage and poor bonding properties of sugarcane bagasse ash are the possible causes of tensile strength reduction in bagasse ash concrete. Sisal fiber addition improved the mechanical properties of bagasse ash concrete. Microstructure studies portrayed effective bridging of cracks and good adhesive properties of the fibers. Conclusion: Sisal fibers can be used to improve on the mechanical properties of sugarcane bagasse ash concrete with 100 aspect ratio and 1.5% addition being the optimal combination.

This study includes untreated sisal fibers, fibers that had been mercerized using 0.06 M NaOH and fibers cornified at 100°C in different volume fractions used as reinforcement into a general purpos...

To evaluate the mechanical properties of self compacting concrete (M30) with sisal fibers.Self-compacting concrete (SCC) mixes are produced by replacing the cement with Fly ash and with addition of sisal fiber of 0, 0.5%, 1%, 1% and1.5% and length of fibers considered are 5mm, 10mm, and 20mm to the SCC concrete. Sulphonated naphthalene Formaldehyde condensates based SP is used as water reducing agent. Compressive strength and Flexural strength of SCC mix has to be determined at 14 and 28 days. Impact strength of SCC mix has to be determined at 28 days.

In the current study, flexural strength of combination of natural and synthetic fiber with particle filled hybrid composites have been studied. The flexural strength of the hybrid composite mainly depends on the proportion of the sisal fiber weight, glass fiber weight and alumina weight. Taguchi technique has been applied to find the optimized parameters of the developed hybrid composites. Results were obtained for the L9 orthogonal combination from experimentation. The results were analysed with the help of Signal/Noise (S/N) Ratio, Main effect plot and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) using Mini Tab 19. Regression equation are developed for all three reinforcements separately. From the current study it was observed that the flexural strength of the hybrid composite mainly depends on the sisal fiber precent that the other two reinforcements. Based on the experimental observations the maximum ultimate flexural strength was found to be 145.97 MPa for optimised input parameters as 20% of sisal fiber, 20% of glass fiber and 2% of alumina. Keywords: Taguchi technique, ANOVA, Flexural strength, Sisal fiber, Glass Fiber, Alumina

The natural fiber composites are emerging as replacement materials in wide engineering fields. In this work, banana, sisal, and banana-sisal fibers of three different fiber lengths namely 3 mm, 5 m...

Natural fibers composite play an important role in making eco-friendly products. The present investigation has been made to find tensile strength of hybrid composites fabricated using optimal composition of sisal fiber, glass fiber and alumina. Multi-response optimization has been carried out. The compositions of reinforcements namely sisal fiber, glass fiber and alumina in hybrid composite were prepared by Hand-layup technique. Sisal fiber of 20 Wt.%, 30 Wt.% and 40 Wt.% are chopped into 10mm length, Glass fiber of 20 Wt.%, 30 Wt.% and 40 Wt.% are 10mm length and alumina particles of 2Wt.%, 3 Wt.% and 4 Wt.% are compositions of reinforcement were chosen according to orthogonal array as Taguchi technique(L9). The results have been verified through confirmatory experiments. Experimentations were carried out with the different composition based on L9 process parameters. Based on the experimental observations the maximum ultimate tensile strength was found to be 37.87 MPa for optimised input parameters as 20% of sisal fiber, 30% of glass fiber and 3% of alumina.

Novel intralayer hybrid composites (IHC) based on a commercial polylactic acid (PLA) matrix reinforced with a hybrid plain-woven fabric, composed of PLA filaments and sisal fibers, were obtained by...

Clay is one of the important base materials in slope restoration. The adhesion of clay–rock interface plays a decisive role in the repairing effect on rock slopes. Fibers and polymers are widely used as a clay improvement method in rock slope repair. In this paper, the friction effect of sisal fiber and polyvinyl acetate (PVAc)-reinforced clay was studied through the design of an indoor rock-like interface sliding model test. Using modelled test results and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, the reinforced clay was analyzed. The test results showed that the critical sliding angle and maximum static friction force of clay decreased with the increase of moisture content. An excess of fiber content and moisture content weakens the coupling effect of fiber-anchoring clay. Fiber content of 0.8% and PVAc content of 2% had the best effect on enhancing the sliding resistance of clay and provided good adhesion for dangerous interfaces of rock slope at 35° and 45°, respectively. PVAc formed a three-dimensional networked elastic membrane structure to improve the skid resistance and dynamic friction coefficient of the clay. The results provide an effective way for soil improvement and ecological restoration.

An increasing desire is to produce eco-friendly materials for varied engineering applications, such as natural fiber-reinforced composites (NFRCs). Although many research works on natural fiber polymer matrix composite exist, not much is known on the thermo-mechanical properties of acetic acid-treated particulate banana-sisal fiber reinforced polyester composite. Additionally, establishing the fiber constituent with a detrimental effect on thermal and mechanical properties for acetic acid-treated particulate banana-sisal reinforced polyester matrix composite is not well known. This work aims to examine the effect of banana-sisal particulate fiber on the thermal and mechanical properties of banana-sisal reinforced polyester matrix composites to address the gap. The composites were produced via the mechanical stir mix technique. Thermal, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIS), compressive, flexural, and impact analysis were conducted according to appropriate test standards. The results revealed that the thermal properties of the developed composites were not dependent on hybridization. Also, hybridization significantly enhanced the compressive and flexural properties, with 70B/30S and 50B/50S particulate fiber reinforced polyester matrix composite found to have the most superior compressive and flexural properties. A major contribution of this study is that the impact properties of the developed composites were dependent on the fiber composition and decreased as the sisal content percentage increased. In general, reinforced polyester matrix composite with 70B/30S particulate fiber has a preferable combination of thermal and mechanical properties.

The key focus of this work was to examine the effect of hybrid fiber reinforcement on thethermal properties of particulate based natural fiber-reinforced hybrid composites. Banana and sisal fiberswere selected as natural fiber reinforcements for the polyester matrix based composites, which wereproduced by mechanical stir mix technique. Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Fourier-TransformInfrared Spectroscopy (FTIS) were conducted in accordance with American Society for Testing andMaterials (ASTM) standards for the characterization of the hybrid composites. The FTIS result shows thedisappearance of 1735 cm-1 peak, a notable evidence of NaOH treatment. The thermal analysis showedthat the hybridization significantly affected the high temperature stability of the composite, with 70%Sisal/30%Banana found to have the lowest high temperature mass loss at a temperature of 300–520oC, thushighest high temperature stability. Derivative Thermogravimetry (DTG) results shows a minor mass lossrate at a temperature range of 50–150oC as well as a major mass loss rate due to pyrolysis of key fiberconstituents such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin between 260 and 350oC. Also it was observed thatas the percentage of banana in the hybrid fiber increases the speed of high temperature mass loss reduces.

The well-documented usage of natural fiber-reinforced composites (NFRC) began in the 1930s by Ford Motor. NFRCs using hemp/soy-based resin and sisal fiber was used by Ford motors for its T-concept ...

Natural fibers have started replacing synthetic fibers in every aspect of manufacturing, starting from building materials and locomotives to fabricating automobile panels, sports kits, toys, laptop...

Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) is an essential procedure for characterizing the performance of composites and effectively simulate with the real-world applications. This research work aims to characterize the dynamic mechanical (DM) properties of sisal fiber reinforced polyethylene terephthalate (PET) composites as a factor of fiber content and fiber surface modification. The effect of elevated processing temperature (>260°C) on the thermal degradation of sisal fibers is also analyzed. To study the effect of sisal fiber loading, PET composite specimens; one with 25% by weight fraction of raw sisal fiber (w/w), abbreviated as 25% RSC and the other with 40% by weight fraction (w/w) of raw sisal fiber, hereafter abbreviated as 40% RSC, were prepared by injection molding. Similarly, to analyze the impact of fiber surface modifications, PET composite samples containing 40% by weight fraction (w/w) of alkali-treated sisal, hereafter abbreviated as (40% Al-SC), and 40% by weight fraction (w/w) of a combined alkali/acetylation-treated sisal, hereafter abbreviated as (40% Al-ASC), were prepared. It was found that the fiber volume fraction and fiber surface modifications affected the DM properties of the produced composites. The improved storage module and glass transition temperature (Tg) with minimized damping has been demonstrated by increasing fiber content. With the same 40% fiber content, the composites produced from modified fibers enhanced the storage modulus and Tg values. However, with increasing temperature, the storage modulus decreased, the loss modulus increased, and the damping factor increased with composites containing higher fiber content and surface modified fibers. This indicates the low thermal stability of the sisal fiber and the interface damage at elevated temperatures.

The improvement in mechanical properties of biodegradable and sustainable materials like natural fibers turns out to be exceptionally appealing from the financial and biological perspectives. This is achieved by hybridization technique in which different fiber orientations can be adjusted in various arrangements providing variety in its properties. In this study, the authors used different natural fibers in hybridization with glass fibers. The tensile strength of varying glass/sisal and glass/jute contents within the composites were compared. Besides, the effect of hybridization was analyzed. Results revealed that all hybrid composites show low tensile strength as compared to the non-hybrid composites. However, in hybrid composites, the laminate containing a single layer of sisal fiber has shown almost the same tensile strength as non-hybrid composites. Based on results, it is suggested that flax is an appropriate natural fiber to replace E-glass for applications requiring similar strength.

The main aim of this work is to study the importance of the coupling agent on tensile and thermomechanical performance of annealed composites based on poly (lactic acid)/poly (methyl methacrylate) ...

The effect of fiber surface treatment on the structural, thermal, and tribological properties of sisal fibers and their epoxy composites was investigated in this research work. Sisal fibers were mo...

Among natural fiber composites, sisal fiber is one of the promising reinforcement which provides enhanced mechanical strength to the composites. The sisal fibers are low cost, available at abundant...

This paper presents the effect of sisal-fiber reinforced concrete in exterior beam-column joints under monotonic loading. Fifteen exterior beam-column joints were designed per British standard using the strong column-weak beam concept. Sisal fibers were added to the concrete mix at 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0% by weight of cement. The performance of the joints was observed under gradually increasing load. The result shows that in comparison to the control specimen, exterior beam-column joints with sisal fiber have a higher yield and ultimate load, exhibited lower deflection, and showed improved shear strength. The shear strength of the joint was compared with theoretical models proposed by previous studies The proposed models did not accurately capture the effect of the fiber, hence, a modification was proposed and tested to improve joint shear strength of sisal-fiber reinforced concrete in exterior beam-column joints.

The rough morphological structure of ternary blend composite membranes was studied. The surface roughness of the composites were analysed. Recurrent topographies and the reliance of length-scale on rough surfaces were established in the analysis done by scanning probe electron microscopy. The membranes with increasing amount of sisal fibre exhibited higher roughness surface. � 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync- nd/4.0) Selection and Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference & Exposition on Mechanical, Material and Manufacturing Technology

This study explored the functional attributes of fiber composites filled with plant banana fibre and coconut shells. There are so many plant fibers like banana fiber, bamboo fiber, coconut sheath and sisal fiber which are typically dumped aside as waste material have a big capability of using it as substitutes as a reinforcement material. Epoxy is also employed as matrices. The fibres are processed in sodium hydroxide and the composites are made by manual layout. The manufactured samples shall be tested for various mechanical properties in compliance with the ASTM requirements. The scope for the use of such a plant fiber composites in numerous vehicle industries is analysed. Such composites material could be employed to create different automotive components. The use of these plant fibers entails lowers costs and energy needs. Since plant fibre composites are much less bulky, they can also be utilized to manufacture lighter parts. In this investigation mechanical characterization of banana fiber and coconut sheath has been carried out and comparative study has been performed.

The principle extent of this task is to diminish the expense of material and furthermore decreases the work by utilizing Taguchi strategy for parameter structure. In this manuscript the beam structure is examined by various composite materials like Fly-ash, M−sand, Water-to-Cement ratio and Sisal fiber. The flexural test was conducted on 28th day and 60th day. Both conventional test and special test was examined with Taguchi Optimization method with L9 orthogonal array. And which was cross examined by Grey Relational Grade (GRG) method. The experimental data was analyzed using Analysis of variance (ANOVA).The response from all the methodology depicts the best optimal combination with minimal resource which highly limit the total duration of the project.

An attempt has been made in the current work to study the influence of using one of the natural fibers (which is: The Sisal Fiber (SF)) on enhancing the compressive strength of Local Plaster of Paris (LPOP). The research plan involves studying the effect of gage length of the chopped SF (CSF) (precisely:10 mm and 30 mm) and also the effect of the weighted content of CSF (1% and 2%). The experimental work involves casting five mixtures (of three cubic (5 × 5 × 5)cm specimens each). Four of these mixtures contain CSF with different gage lengths and weighted contents, and the fifth mixture is the reference one (free from CSF). The (Water/Plaster) ratio for all those mixes were fixed at (0.5). It was found that, the addition of CSF leaded to an improvement in the compressive strength of LPOP for both weighted contents and gage lengths, and the optimum content was (1%) for both gage lengths (10 mm and 30 mm). Furthermore, it was also found that, the compressive strength of LPOP is improved when the gage length of LPOP is increased from (10 mm) to (30 mm).

Sisal fiber composites became attractive due to their high specific strength, lightweight and biodegradability. The aim of this work is to examine characteristics of sisal fiber as composite material for light body vehicles on experimental basis. Composite materials prepared using biodegradable natural fibers are found to be most promising materials which can be used in vehicle body which results in reduction of overall weight of the vehicle. In this work sisal fiber was used. Sisal fiber was extracted using knife from the sisal plant leaves collected from Ethiopian highland. To remove cellulosic matter and improve surface roughness of the sisal fiber, it was immersed in sodium hydroxide solution for 24 h. The specimen of composite material is prepared using the general purpose resin as a matrix, the hardener and the sisal fiber as a reinforcement material with the fiber orientation of 00, ± 450, 00 & 900 by using experimental (hand layup fabrication technique). The specimen was prepared and tested as per ECAE and ASTM standard. From the test results it was found that sisal fiber composite is a good light weight replacement for conventional materials in vehicle body applications. From the experiment result it was observed that different orientation of fiber has shown enhanced mechanical properties of the sisal fiber composite material.

In this investigation, the Hybrid Fiber Concrete (HFC) was fabricated using polypropylene fiber (PP), sisal fiber (SF) and banana fiber (BF) and the mechanical and durability properties of the prep...

Polyurethane foam derived from vegetable oils can be used as a matrix in composites with Pinus taeda sawdust and Agave sisalana fibers. The aim of this work was to obtain and characterize polyureth...

This study investigates the hybrid effect of chemically modified sisal fiber and snail shell particles on the performance of polyester composites. The sisal fiber used was extracted by soil retting method and some portions were treated with potassium hydroxide (KOH) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions, respectively. The snail shell was calcined before grinding and sieving into particle size of ˂75 μm. The composites were developed using randomly dispersed open mould technique by varying the reinforcements between 2-10 wt. %. The particulate snail shell was analyzed with XRF where it was discovered that Mn and Ni were the major constituents while the developed composites were also subjected to different tests in accordance with the existing ASTM standards. The results revealed that the incorporation of sisal fiber and snail shell particles in the polyester matrix resulted in better tensile and flexural properties. The performance of the materials in moisture environment showed that chemically modified sisal fiber samples reduce the tendency for moisture absorption. The influence of the modification was best for samples from KOH treated fiber compared to NaOH treated fiber. Hence, it was discovered that snail shell/modified sisal fiber aid the enhancement of the performance of the developed composites.

This paper has presented the enhancement of tensile and impact strength of continuously aligned sisal fiber reinforced polyester composites through chemical treatment and hybridization. Sodium hydr...

This research work focuses on the wear characteristics of hybrid composites prepared using Sisal fiber (SF) /Pineapple fiber (PF) and Pineapple fly ash (PA) in various wt.%. Linear reciprocating tr...

Hybrid composites with synthetic and natural fibers are a good choice in the field of composites, as they combine the good mechanical performance of synthetic fibers with the advantages of natural fibers. In this work, polymeric hybrid composites associating glass fiber and natural fibers were developed. Three hybrid composites were developed: sisal/glass, coir/glass and Luffa/glass. The composites are five-layer laminate, three layers of E-glass interspersed with two layers of natural fibers that can be sisal, coir, or Luffa sponge (Luffa Cylindrica). In addition to hybrid composites, a five-layer fiberglass composite was also manufactured. The composites were manufactured by compression molding technique using orthophthalic polyester resin as matrix. Tensile and flexural tests were performed to characterize the composites. Considering the three hybrid composites, the best behavior was observed for the sisal/glass composite, being a potential replacement for fiberglass. The order of performance was the same in the tensile and flexural tests, sisal/glass, coir/glass, and luffa/glass, in this order. In the specimen’s fracture analysis, for both tests, it was observed that the fracture was quite located with no damage in regions far from the fracture. This behavior indicates good adhesion between the layers of natural and synthetic fibers, despite the discrepancy of their properties.

This study aimed at determining and comparing the mechanical properties of natural, mercerized, and cornified sisal fibers. Sisal fiber morphology was modified by mercerization using a 0.06 Molar s...

This paper investigates the effect of sisal fiber addition on fresh ,mechanical properties of self compacting concrete(SCC) and flexural performance of fiber reinforced RC beams made with mineral admixtures like Meta Kaolin (MK) and Fly Ash (FA)which is an industrial waste. The mixes were prepared by varying MK content from 5% to 15% with 5% increment with constant fly ash content of 30%. The results reveal that increasing the content of MK beyond 10% leads to reduction in strength. And also the negative influence of MK and fiber addition on workability performance was overcome by the addition of FA, super plasticizer and viscosity modifying agent (VMA). Based on the test results it is evidenced that FA and MK make use of mineral admixture in the production of SCC. It also clarifies that the addition of sisal fiber improves mechanical properties of concrete. The research work shows that the ultimate load of fiber reinforced RC beams was raised when compared to normal RC beams. The flexural toughness and ductility of concrete was found to increase appreciably when sisal fiber was added.

The use of treatments in natural fibers is largely used, because it can improve the interfacial adhesion of polymer composites. However, the choice of the most appropriate treatment should take into account environmental factors, due to the need of new materials to meet requirements related to the concept of sustainability. This article investigated the influence of the mercerization, acetylation and gamma radiation treatments on the mechanical properties of sisal fibers, to use in composite materials. Experimental conditions were defined with different concentrations of reagents and radiation doses in order to understand the impact of these reactions on the tensile properties of sisal fibers. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to investigate the fiber degradation process and the chemical modifications after the treatments. The use of mercerization (0.1 M and 1.0 M NaOH concentrations) combined with acetylation increased the hydrophobic character of the sisal fiber, which may improve its interaction with polymeric matrices. In addition, mercerized sisal fiber at 0.5 M NaOH concentration, exposed to 25 kGy gamma radiation dose, showed physical and chemical structural changes that positively influence the fiber-matrix adhesion in polymer composite materials. All treatments made can reduce the natural tensile properties of the sisal fibers, because they can remove fundamental components to the structure and the stiffening of these fibers. Considering changes in the mechanical behavior, the use of gamma radiation presented similar results of the traditional chemical treatments, being less aggressive to the fibers and not causing the same negative impact on the environment.

In the present study, a natural fiber, i.e., sisal fiber, is chosen to prepare composite samples of different compositions. The other materials taken for the preparation of composite are glass fiber and epoxy. After preparations, samples are subjected to different tests such as tensile strength and three-point bend test to assess their mechanical strength. Then, samples are immersed in seawater for 30 days. Again, their mechanical property assessed to know how these composites behave in a saline environment and compared with previous results. It is seen that sisal fiber composites show positive results in the seawater environment.

This article aims to improve the sintering quality of the sisal fiber/poly-(ether sulfone) (PES) composite (SFPC) part fabricated via selective laser sintering (SLS). The sisal fiber and PES powders were proposed as the feedstock of the SFPC powder bed for SLS. An orthogonal experimental methodology with four levels and five factors was applied to optimize the process parameters for the single-layer sintering experiment. The mechanical properties and accurate dimensions of the sintered part were tested using a universal testing machine and Vernier caliper. The preheating temperature, scanning speed, and laser power were selected as influencing factors on the mechanical properties and accuracy dimensions of the SFPC part. Furthermore, the influence factors on the quality of the sintered part were studied and analyzed. Additionally, the synthesis weighted scoring method was used to determine the optimum parameters of the SLS part. The results showed that the optimal parameters (factors) were preheating temperature of 82°C, scanning speed of 2 m s−1, laser power of 14 W, and laser wavelength of 10.6 μm. Thus, the quality of SFPC part was significantly enhanced when the optimum parameters were applied in SLS process. This article provided the main reference value for the choice of the process parameters of the biomass composite.

In casting temperature Laquan silica sol crust process suitable for the production of surface roughness is small, precision high accuracy in size, and has become the mainstream technology has been widely used. Silicon sol casting with high dimensional accuracy, good surface quality and other advantages, is a widely used less advanced technology without cutting, using silica sol casting method can save a lot of machine equipment and processing time, but also greatly saves metal materials. Hard fiber sisal has high tensile strength, resistance to seawater immersion, friction resistance, flexibility and other characteristics, can be used for fishing, sailing, mining, transportation rope, canvas, waterproof cloth and other raw materials. The most commonly used binder in investment casting is silica gel solution (abbreviated as silica sol), such as ethyl silicate hydrolysate, water glass and silica sol.

Natural fiber reinforced polymers have been intensively studied in a wide range of application in the material science. The sisal fibers, which extracted from Agave sisalana plant, stand out due to their good mechanical properties, simple cultivation and reasonable cost. In the present work, the effect of addition of 5% polyaramid fibers, in the structure and properties of epoxy matrix composite reinforced with modified sisal fibers investigated. The ratio of 40, 50 and 60 wt. % sisal fiber-reinforced composites were prepared by hand lay-up technique, with and without the addition of polyaramid. Tensile, flexural and Izod impact tests performed, and the fracture aspect observed. Analytical techniques such as SEM, TEM and TGA have performed to investigate the structural changes. The results also indicated epoxy matrix composite reinforced with modified sisal fibers possesses good tensile, flexural and impact strength.

The interfacial shear strength (IFSS) between natural sisal fiber and zein protein resin was explored using the microbond test. Commercially available zein protein was processed into resins and their IFSS with sisal fiber was measured. Effects of sorbitol plasticizer content and microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) reinforcement loading on the IFSS with the resin were studied. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize the fracture surfaces before and after the microbond test. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was utilized to map the residual resin on the sisal fiber surface after the microbond test. The results showed that sisal fiber/ zein IFSS decreased with sorbitol content. At 20 wt% sorbitol content 53% decrease in IFSS was observed. IFSS increased with MFC loading from 1.32 MPa (control) to 2.40 MPa for resin containing 15 wt% MFC. Physical entanglements between sisal fibers and MFC are believed to be responsible for this enhancement in the IFSS.

In this paper, the effects of hyperbranched polyamide on the properties of sisal fiber reinforced polypropylene composites were studied. And the microstructure, fluidity, mechanical properties, and...

The interest on poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends has increased during the last years due to their promising properties. The novelty of the current work focuses on the preparation and characterization of biocomposites based on PLA/PMMA matrix and NaOH-treated sisal fibers. The effect of the addition of treated sisal fibers on the physico-mechanical properties of high polylactide content composites was studied. For this purpose, PLA/PMMA blend (80/20 wt%) was prepared by melt-blending and reinforced with different fiber contents. Although composites showed interesting specific tensile properties, the estimated heat deflection temperature (HDT), that is, the maximum temperature at which a polymer system can be used as a rigid material, barely increased 4°C respect to unreinforced system. After the annealing process, the HDT of the unreinforced polymer blend increased around 25°C, whereas the composites showed an increase of at least 38°C. Nonetheless, the specific tensile strength of composite decreased approximately 48% because the adhesion between fiber and polymer matrix was damaged and cracks were formed during annealing process.