Tensile and Flexural Properties of Sisal, Banana and Bamboo Fibre Epoxy Composites

Abstract

Opportunities abound for more innovative development work involving naturally-occurring fibrous materials with good strength and stiffness properties in their use as reinforcements/fillers in polymeric composites fabrication. Utilisation of these waste materials in new composite materials fabrication is important in engineering economics especially in resource savings and ecological considerations. It is in realization of this that tensile and flexural behaviour of chemically retted sisal (Agave sisalana), bamboo and banana (Musa sapientum) fibre reinforced epoxy composites were investigated. The carefully characterised fibres were cut into short lengths and ASTM sample pieces were fabricated in appropriate moulds. The three fibres composites show similar trend of strength deterioration with increasing fibre concentration. From the analysis, only sisal showed consistent and steady strength reduction through all the fibre concentration range. The tensile strength, modulus, stress and strain at break for single fibre epoxy composite obtained varied in the range of 34 MPa to 12 MPa, 1.5 GPa to 0.6 GPa, 34 MPa to 12 MPa and 5% to 1% respectively while flexural strength, modulus, stress and strain at break of single composites ranged from 58 MPa to 18 MPa, 1.4 GPa to 0.9 GPa, 8 MPa to 3 MPa and 5% to 1% respectively. The sisal fibre has the highest tensile properties which contributed to increase strengthening of the composites when compared to that of banana and bamboo composites. The data obtained in certain fibre concentration range were found to show promises in various non-load-bearing engineering applications especially in the power sector (wind-power blades), building (panels, flooring etc.), transportation (automobile, railways, aircraft, ship, interiors etc.) and others.