Title

POLYESTER COMPOSITES WITH IMPROVED TENSILE PROPERTIES BY THINNER CURAUA FIBER REINFORCEMENT

POLYESTER COMPOSITES WITH IMPROVED TENSILE PROPERTIES BY THINNER CURAUA FIBER REINFORCEMENT

Authorship

Lopes, Felipe Perissé Duarte; Ferreira, Ailton da Silva; Satyanarayana, Kestur Gundappa; Monteiro, Sergio Neves

Lopes, Felipe Perissé Duarte

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Ferreira, Ailton da Silva

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Satyanarayana, Kestur Gundappa

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Monteiro, Sergio Neves

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DOI

10.5151/2594-5327-32391

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Abstract

In recent years curaua fiber reinforced polymer composites have been gaining attention in both research works and industrial applications. It was found that thinner curaua fibers, with very small diameters, may reach tensile strength over 1000 MPa. Therefore the objective of this work was to evaluate the tensile properties of polyester composites reinforced with thinner curaua fibers for improved mechanical performance. Standard specimens were fabricated with up to 40% in volume of very thin, d<0.06 mm, continuous and aligned curaua fibers embedded in an orthophtalic polyester matrix. The specimens were post-cured at 60 °C and tensile tested in an Instron machine. The fracture of representative specimens was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed a significant improvement in the mechanical properties with the amount of thinner curaua fibers as compared to other works on curaua composites.

In recent years curaua fiber reinforced polymer composites have been gaining attention in both research works and industrial applications. It was found that thinner curaua fibers, with very small diameters, may reach tensile strength over 1000 MPa. Therefore the objective of this work was to evaluate the tensile properties of polyester composites reinforced with thinner curaua fibers for improved mechanical performance. Standard specimens were fabricated with up to 40% in volume of very thin, d<0.06 mm, continuous and aligned curaua fibers embedded in an orthophtalic polyester matrix. The specimens were post-cured at 60 °C and tensile tested in an Instron machine. The fracture of representative specimens was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed a significant improvement in the mechanical properties with the amount of thinner curaua fibers as compared to other works on curaua composites.

Keywords

Curauá fiber, Polyester composite, Tensile properties, fracture analysis.

Curauá fiber, Polyester composite, Tensile properties, fracture analysis.