Assessing Mechanical Properties (PLF) Reinforced Composites for Automotive Applications

CHAPTER 1

1. INTRODUCTION

Since the past few decades, research and engineering interest has been
shifting from traditional monolithic materials to fibre reinforced polymer-based materials
due to their unique advantages high strength to weight ratio, non-corrosive property and
fracture toughness. These composite materials consisted of high strength fibres such as
carbon, glass and aramid, and low polymeric matrix, now have dominated the aerospace,
leisure, automotive, construction and sporting industries. Unfortunately, these fibres have
serious drawbacks such as,(i) non-renewable, (ii) non-recyclable, (iii) high energy
consumption in the manufacturing process, (iv) health risk when inhaled and
(v) non-biodegradable. Biodegradation is the chemical breakdown of materials by the
action of living organisms which leads to changes in physical properties. It is a concept
of vast scope, ringing form of environmental wastes involving micro-organisms to host-
induced of biomaterials. Green composites deriving from renewable resources bring very
promising potential to provide benefits to companies, natural environment and end-
customers due to dwindling petroleum resources.

In the automotive sector biofiber composites are predominantly used in

interior panels, such as doors, pillar trims, backrest, glove box, trunk liners, rear parcel
trays, break shoe, insulation, and seat covering etc. Many of the well-known automobile
manufacturers (Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Ford) are using biofiber
composites for different interior (such as door trim panels, seat foam, storage bin and
inner lid, and lower door panel) and exterior parts (such as spare tire wheel covers, back
rest and spoilers) of automobile. Other important properties of biofiber composites are
good mechanical and manufacturing properties, ease of machining process to make
complex components, relatively good impact performance, and health advantages in
assembly.
In the automotive industry, a very important factor is fuel efficiency and
passenger safety. Fuel efficiency can be increased by reducing the weight of the car,
while the bumper can be used to protect the vehicle from a sudden load when it occurs
crash. The main function of the bumper is the absorption of energy when a collision
occurs with low speed. A bumper is a structure attached to or integrated with the front
and rear ends of a motor vehicle, to absorb impact in a minor collision, ideally

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minimizing repair costs. Bumpers were at first just rigid metal bars. A completely rigid
vehicle might have excellent bumper protection for vehicle components, but would offer
poor occupant safety.

Typically, biofibers are cost effective as they exhibit superior specific properties
with lower density and high strength values. The density of cellulosic fibers ranges from
0.48 to 1.6 gm/cm3 which is significantly lower than E-glass fibers with 2.5 gm/cm3
density and also the cost of glass fibers is around 256Rs/kg. These are some of the
fundamental properties that lead them to compete with the other mineral and synthetic
fiber filled composites. One of the main disadvantages is the seasonal nature of the
natural fibers. They need to be stored for extended period so they are available year
round, which can impact the quality of the fibers. The fiber length in long glass fiber
thermo plastics composites is very important for its higher mechanical properties and
thermal properties. Fiber loading in thermoplastics decides the whole functioning of the
longfiber thermoplastics. The efficiency of the natural fiber reinforced composites
depends on the fiber to matrix interface and the capability to adhesion over the matrix to
the fiber. This can be maximized by increasing the bonding between fiber and matrix and
also changing short fiber length to long fiber length of the composites. Influence of fiber
length and fiber distribution having more impact while developing natural fiber
thermoplastics composites using injection molding or extrusion process. While using
short fibers in the composites the efficiency and performance is less, compared with long
fiber composites due to the fiber orientation and distribution of fibers.
Pineapple Fiber Leaf (PLF) exhibits excellent mechanical properties due to rich cellulose
content of more than 70% which are potential to be used as reinforcement in polymer
composites. The combination of PLF used as reinforce material and the starch (SH) based
composite as the matrix materials that are totally green composites materials used to
produce PLF/SH composite may reveal a good potential result in mechanical properties
especially for plastic industries product.
This research will study the effects of PLF (Pineapple Leaf Fiber) loading and
PLF fiber length on the mechanical properties of PLF/epoxy composites. Compositions
percentage volume fraction of PLF/epoxy composites is fixed at 10/90, 20/80, 30/70 and
40/60. The lengths of the pineapple leaf fiber are fixed to 20 mm, 30 mm and 40 mm. The
mechanical properties of the PLF/epoxy composites will be determined used tensile test,
flexure test and bending test.

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CHAPTER 2

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Pineapple Leaf Ffibre (PALF)

Interestingly, the majority of the research work carried out on PALF composites has been
done in India. This could be due to the fact that the raw materials can be obtained there
very cheaply, and so there is a great potential to commercialize this product and to
enhance the quality of life of the people living in rural areas.

Mukherjee and Satyanarayana K.G[4] report that among various natural

fibres, pineapple fibres exhibit excellent mechanical properties. They are
multicellular and lingo-cellulosic materials and are extracted from the leaves of the
Ananas cosomus plant. The chemical constituents of pineapple fibre include cellulose
(70 – 82%), lignin (5 – 12%) and ash (1.1%). Ultimate tensile strength, initial modulus
and elongation are in the range of 362 to 748 MNm-2, 25 to 36 GNm-2 and 2.0 to 2.8%
respectively, for fibres with diameters ranging from 45 to 205 mm.

Palmario et al.[7] studied the tensile strength test of PALF. Their tensile strength tests
indicated that the extraction and removal of pectin from the fibre did not cause any
significant change in the tensile strength of the fibres except when over-retting had
begun. (Retting means the separation of fabric bundles from the cortex, and decortifying
is a process for extracting the raw fibres from the leaves Holocellulose (Table 1 is the
total cellulose content in the fibres). Proximate analysis Table 1. of decorticated and
retted fibres further indicated the changes in the tensile strength of the fibres
occurring during the retting process.

Table 1. Proximate analysis of decorticated and retted pineapple fibres

% Composition
Decorticated Retted
Holocellulose 92.43 91.94
Alpha-cellulose 76.36 87.36
Hemicellulose 13.07 4. 58
Lignin 4.25 3.62
Alcohol-benzene extractives 5.73 2.72
Ash 2.29 0. 54
Moisture content 9.99 11. 61

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Yu.C[8] studied the properties and processing characteristics of PALF and

compared them with similar natural fibres. The properties of PALF were similar to those
of many other best and leaf fibres such as ramie, flax and jute. According to Yu, PALF
was said to contain cellulose 56-62%, hemicellulose 16- 19%, pectin 2-2.5%, lignin 9-
13%, water-soluble materials 1-1.5%, fat and wax 4-7%, and ash 2- 3%. The structural
parameters of PALF determined by Yu8 were: length 3-8 mm, diameter 7-18 mm, ultimate
tensile elongation 3.42%, initial tensile modulus 10.2 CN/tex and density 1.543 g/cm.

2.2 Tensile Properties of PALF Composites

Luo and Netravali[3] studied the tensile strengths of the PALF composites and found
that they increased in the longitudinal direction with an increase in the fibre content.
But there was a decreasing trend in the transverse direction with the increase in fibre
content.
Devi et al[1] also noted that there was a change in the tensile strength of PALF
composites with fibre length and the same pattern was observed in the (tensile) Young’s
modulus. The tensile strength of PALF composites with 30 mm long fibres was
approximately 240% higher than with an average fibre length of 5 mm. When the
length of the fibres was increased from 30 to 40 mm, the tensile strength decreased by
38%. According to Devi, the decrease in the strength of the fibres above a fibre length
of 30 mm can be attributed to fibre entanglements that occur above the optimum length
of the fibres. Table 2 shows the variation of tensile properties of PALF- polyester
composites as a function of fibre loading (fibre length = 30 mm).

Table 2. Variation of tensile properties of PALF-polyester composites as a

function of fibre loading (fibre length is 30 mm)
Fibre Content Young’s Modulus Tensile Strength Elongation At
(Wt%) (MPa) (MPa) Break (%)
0 580 20.6 1.6
10 1770 17.1 1.3
20 1830 40.0 3.0
30 2290 52.9 3.6
40 2520 63.3 5.0

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George et al.[2] found that the tensile strength of PALF composites is affected
by the Brabender rotor speed during melt-mixing. PALF composites prepared by mixing
the fibre and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) at low rotor speeds gave low tensile
strength because of poor dispersion of the fibres. But as the rotor speed was increased
from 20 to 60 rpm, there was an increase in strength of 60% in the case of oriented
composites. However, as the rotor speed was further increased to 80 rpm, a reduction in
strength occurred because of the increase in the amount of fibre breakage at the higher
rotor speed. When fibre breakage took place, the length of the fibres was reduced, and
when the length is decreased lower than a certain critical length, fibres do not act as
reinforcement any more. Fibre breakage is a possible limitation to the economic
processing of PALF. Figure 1 shows the effect of mixing time on the tensile
strength and Young’s modulus of both oriented and random PALF- polyethylene
composites.

Figure 1. Variation of tensile strength and modulus with mixing time of melt-mixed
composites for fibre content of 30%

Bhattacharyya et al[5]. studied the mechanical properties of short PALF reinforced

rubber composites. Short PALF-rubber composites have attracted considerable
interest because of their processing advantages and improved mechanical properties
such as tensile strength, stiffness and damping. These workers also found that bonding
agents such as resorcinol and hexamethylene tetramine are essential for good fibre-
rubber adhesion.

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2.3 Flexural Properties of PALF Composites

The results of a study of the flexural strength and modulus, conducted by Luo and
Netravali[3], are reported here. The flexural strength and modulus of PALF
composites, measured in the longitudinal direction, increased with increasing fibre
content. The flexural strength in the transverse direction decreased, and the flexural
modulus in the transverse direction showed little change with increasing fibre content.

Devi et al[1]. reported that the flexural strength of the PALF composites containing 30
mm long fibres was 23% higher than that of PALF composites with 5 mm length fibre.
The flexural stiffness of the PALF composites containing 30 mm-long fibres was also
found to be 57%. higher than when using 5 mm-long fibres. However, the flexural
modulus showed a decreasing trend for composites having a fibre length of 40 mm. The
optimum flexural strength and modulus of the PALF composites were obtained at a fibre
length of 30 mm. Figure 2. shows the flexural strength and modulus of PALF
composites based on a fiber content of 30% by weight.

Figure 2. Variation of flexural strength and flexural modulus with fibre length (fibre
loading 30 wt%)

Arib et al.[10] presented preliminary results of a study into the flexural strength
and modulus of PALF- polypropylene (PP) composites as a function of volume fraction.
Composite laminates 3 mm thick were made by sandwiching one layer of fibre between
two layers of polypropylene film of thickness 1.5 mm. Specimens with dimensions of

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127 mm x 12.7 mm were used for three-point-bending tests carried out according to
ASTM-D790 at a crosshead speed of 5 mm/minute and a load cell of 1 kN. The
flexural strength of the composites containing 5.4% by volume was found to be higher
than that of pure PP resin by 5.1%. The flexural modulus was higher, at 2.7% by
volume.

2.4 Impact Properties of PALF Composites

Devi et al.[1] determined the work of fracture or impact strength of PALF polyester
composites at 30% loading, as a function of fibre length. A comparatively high impact
strength was observed for composites with fibre lengths of 10 and 30 mm. There was a
decrease in impact strength for composites of higher fibre length, i.e. 40 mm. The
energy-absorbing mechanisms built into the composites included utilization of the
energy required to de-bond the fibres and pull them completely out of the matrix. The
impact strength of the PALF composites increased linearly with the weight fracture of
fibre. Charpy type impact tests with unnotched specimens were performed using a
pendulum impact testing machine PSW 0,4. The composite with 30% by weight of
fibre exhibited an impact strength of 24 kJ/m2. When a comparison is made of the
impact strength of straw- reinforced polyester, sisalpolyester and PALF-polyester
composites, the results are 2.6 kJm-2, 11 kJm-2 and 24 kJm-2 respectively. This showed
that pineapple demonstrated higher impact strength than straw and sisal fibre
composites.
Pavithran et al.[12] carried out a comparative study of the impact properties of
unidirectionally aligned polyester composites reinforced with sisal, pineapple, banana and
coir fibres, and found that sisal fibre composites had the highest toughness, followed by
PALF composites. The toughness of the sisal fibre composites was 98.7 kJm- 2 and PALF
achieved 79.5 kJm-2. The work of fracture of these natural fibre composites was measured
using an unnotched Charpy impact test.

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CHAPTER 3

3. MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY

This chapter is an amalgamation of three basic stages:

 Raw material preparation

 PALF Characterization
 Sample preparation

3.1 Raw Materials Preparation

3.1.1 Polypropylene

Polypropylene that was used as matrix for PALF reinforced composite is a homo
polypropylene TITANPRO 6331 supplied by Titan PP Polymers (M) Sdn. Bhd.
This polymer is for general purpose of injection molding. Its properties are summarized
in Table 3.1.

Table 3.1: Properties of Polypropylene (TITANPRO 6331)

ASTM
Typical Resin Properties Values
Methods
Melt Flow Rate, at 230oC (g/10min) 14 D1238
Density (g/cm3) 0.9 D1505
Tensile Strength at Yield (kg/cm2 ) 360 D638
Elongation at Yield (%) 10 D638
Flexural Modulus (kg/cm2 ) 17500 D790B
Notched Izod Impact Strength at 23oC (kg.cm/cm) 2.6 D256A
Heat Deflection Temperature at 4.6 kg/cm2 (oC) 99 D648
Rockwell Hardness (R scale) 97 D785A
Water absorption after 24 hours (%) 0.02 D570

3.1.2 Preparation of PALF

PALF is contained in the spiky leaves of pineapples. The waste pineapples leaves were
collected from Sedenak or Pekan Nanas, Johore during the harvest process. These leaves

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were pressed using two-roll mill to remove circa 90 % of the water content. Figure 3.1
shows the Rapic Two-roll Mill machine that was utilized. Fibres were extracted manually
from these semi-dried leaves by knife or sharp edge tool. Figure 3.2 indicates the original
fibre extracted from leaf and the chopped PALF.
They were then chopped to particle sizes of 2-6 mm. This particular size appears to
be the most suitable processing size for melt mixing which give effective reinforcement
in PP (George et al., 1995). The short fibres were then undergone cleaning steps where
they were washed thoroughly in 2 % detergent solution at 70˚C followed by tape water.
Basically, this removed most of the foreign objects and impurities inside the fibres. They
were later dried in oven at 70˚C for 24 hours before characterizing and chemical
treatment for further processing.

Figure 3.1: Rapic Two-roll Mill Machine Used for Remove Water and Composite Compounding.

Figure 3.2: PALF Photos: (a) Long PALF Extracted from Raw Leaf and
(b) Chopped PALF

Prior to composite preparation, the fibres were treated with coupling or chemical agents
such as silane, isocyanate, alkali and peroxide to improve the adhesion between the
matrix and fibre. In this research, alkaline group of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was used.
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Fibre was treated with 5 % NaOH solution for one hour at 30˚C. This alkali treatment
removed natural and artificial impurities which improves the fibre-matrix adhesion. It
may also destroy the hydrogen bonding in cellulose hydroxyl groups of the fibre, thereby
making them more reactive to the functional group of coupling agent, which in turn
bonds to the polymer matrix. Good fibre–matrix bonding can be established (Mishra et
al., 2001; George et al., 1998). The fibres after air dried were ready to serve as
reinforcing agents in matrix. Since PALF are susceptible to water content, the thoroughly
drying and storing in a dry condition are crucial. Silica gel was placed in the desiccator
together with PALF to prevent any water absorption.

3.2 PALF Characterization

3.2.1 Chemical Composition

Table 3.2 shows PALF chemical composition obtained from previous studies. Differing
composition may be attributed to factors including source of fibers, age of fibers, climate
conditions and the process used in obtaining the fibers.

Table 3.2: Chemical composition of PALF.

Contents Chemical Composition%
Cellulose 67.12-82
Hemicellulose 9.45-18.80
Lignin 4.4-15.4
Pectin 1.2-3
Fat and Wax 3.2-4.2
Ash 0.9-2.7

3.3 SAMPLE PREPARATION

The preparation of sample was carried out in two stages, namely PALF-PP composite
preparation and testing sample preparation.

3.3.1 PALF-PP Composite Preparation

Melt mixing method was used to mix PALF and PP. Various compositions of PALF in
PP were compounded in two-roll mill as shown in Figure 1. Table 3.2 indicates different
fibre loadings that are presented in the PP matrix. Coupling agent - Compatibilizer
Licomont AR 504 supplied by Clariant was added into the compound to improve
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the durability and mechanical strength of the interface region between PALF and PP
matrix. Its material data sheet is attached in Appendix B. Figure 3.3 shows the natrium
hydroxide used in chemical treatment and coupling agent.

Table 3.3 : PALF Reinforced PP Composites Composition

Ingredient Composition (%wt)
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5
Polypropylene (PP) 100 90 80 70 60
Pineapple Leaf Fibre (PALF) 0 10 20 30 40
Coupling agent* 1 1 1 1 1

*
Coupling agent was added in terms of phr.

Figure 3.3: Left is the Natrium Hydroxide Used for Chemical Treatment
while the Right is the Coupling Agent – Licomont AR504 used.

Composition of PP and PALF were weighted accordingly and melt mixed for a period of
30 minutes at temperature of 180˚C using Rapic two-roll mill. The temperature was used
as the optimum processing temperature for PP matrix but not exceeding that. Higher
temperature would result in a reduction in strength andmodulus which may be due to the
degradation of fibre. In addition, dispersion of PALF in PP matrix will be poor as there is
a drop in viscosity at high temperature.

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Figure 3.4 Machineries: (a) Hot Press Machine and (b) Cooling Machine

The compounded composites were thermoformed by hot press machine with thickness of
1 mm and 3 mm according to the specs that are required in testing sample. The operating
temperature was 190˚C with 15 minutes of preheat, 10minutes of compression and 12
minutes of cooling. Figure 3.4 (a) shows the hot press machine whereas Figure 3.4 (b)
shows cooling machine for cooling session. Preheat was needed to melt the scattered
compound from two-roll mill and to promote flow of resin to every hill and valley of the
fibre. In consequent, there was no significant resin reached or voids introduced. Last but
not least, the thin plates of composites were trimmed and stored with silica gel.

PALF-PP Laminate
Produced

Figure 3.5: PALF Reinforced PP Laminate Produced Via Hot Press Machine

3.3.2 Testing Sample Preparation

PALF-PP composite were hot pressed into 1 mm thin plate for tensile specimens and 3
mm thickness for both flexural and impact test specimens. All these specimens were
machined into shape using grinding machine according to standards.

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CHAPTER 4

4. EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS

4.1 Material and Equipment

The composite materials used in the production of the specimens include: pineapple leaf
fiber (PLF), epoxy resin, catalyzer substances, wax, release agent. Pineapple leaves in
this research taken from varieties of Cayenne originated from Subang area, Indonesia.
The equipment used are digital scales tools, mold, universal testing machine, charpy
impact testing and miscellaneous items.

4.2 Fibre Treatment

In this study, chemical resetting was used. The procedure involves NaOH solution
treatment, water washing and drying. Natural fibres are extracted from their parent plant.
The pineapple fiber is extracted from its leaves once extracted, were soaked in 5% NaOH
and distilled water solution. After finishing the soaking process, the fibers were taken out
and washed in running water and dried in the sun for several days to remove the moisture
content and lignin of the fibers. Chemical treatment with NaOH removes the moisture
content from the fibers, thereby increasing its strength. Chemical treatment also enhances
the flexural rigidity of the fibers. This treatment clears all the impurities in the fiber
material and also stabilizes the molecular orientation.

The treated fibers are allowed to dry in the sun several days, and then the fiber is cut into
pieces to 20 mm, 30 mm and 40 mm. Then the fiber is mixed with the epoxy as the matrix
with the ratio of fiber volume fraction with PLF are: 10%, 20%, 30% and 40%.

4.3 Testing Methods

All the mechanical testing methods that were carried out were base on American Standard
Testing Methods (ASTM). There were three test performed, namely Tensile Test (ASTM
D638), Flexural Test (ASTM D256) and Impact Test (ASTM D790).

4.3.1 Tensile Test

In a broad sense, tensile test is a measurement of the ability of a material to withstand

forces that tend to pull it apart and to what extent the material stretches before breaking.
The stiffness of a material which represented by tensile modulus can be determined

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from stress-strain diagram. As the tensile test starts, the specimen elongates; the
resistance of the specimen increases and is detected by a load cell. This load value (F) is
recorded until a rupture of the specimen occurred. Instrument software provided along
with the equipment will calculate the tensile properties for instance tensile strength,
yield strength and elongation at break.

The tensile test were performed using Universal Testing Machine as shown in Figure 4.2.
The tensile test were carried out according to ASTM D 638-02.

Figure 4.1 Dimensional tensile testing object (ASTM D 638-02)

Figure 4.2 Universal Testing Machine (UTM) (Instron 5567) for Tensile and Flexural
Testing.

4.3.2 Bending Test

Flexural strength is the ability of the material to withstand bending forces applied
perpendicular to its longitudinal axis. Sometime it is referred as cross- breaking strength
where maximum stress developed when a bar-shaped test piece, acting as a simple beam,
is subjected to a bending force perpendicular to the bar. This stress decreased due to the
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flexural load is a combination of compressive and tensile stresses. There are two methods
that cover the determination of flexural properties of material: three-point loading system
and four point loading system. As described in ASTM D790, three-point loading system
applied on a supported beam was utilized. Flexural test is important for designer as well
as manufacturer in the form of a beam. If the service failure is significant in bending,
flexural test is more relevant for design and specification purpose than tensile test.

Figure 4.3 Dimensions of bending testing objects (ASTM D 790-02)

According to ASTM D790, specimens of test pieces were prepared with dimension of
130mm x 10mm x 5mm. The test pieces were tested flat wise on a support span
resulting span-to-depth ratio of 16. This means the span is 16 times greater the thickness
of specimen. In Procedure A of ASTM D790, width and depth of the specimen were
measured to the nearest 0.03mm (0.001 in) at the centre of the support span. The test
pieces were then placed on two supports and load will be applied. For the bending test,
samples with dimensions of 130mm x 10mm x 5mm were used Figure 4.3. The bending
test were performed using a Universal Testing Machine Figure 4.2.

4.3.3 Impact Test

The impact properties of material are directly related to the overall toughness which is
defined as the ability to absorb applied energy. Impact strength is a measure of toughness.

The test apparatus consists of the weighted pendulum, which is dropped from the
specified height to make contact with the specimen. The energy transferred to the
materialcan be inferred by comparing the difference in height of the pendulum before and
after the fracture.

Charpy impact test was carried out on a test specimen as ASTM D 256 (63mm x12.7mm
x 10mm) such as (Figure 4.5) which is placed horizontally into the machine, typically a
bar with the notch machined into one of the faces. This notch either can be U- shaped or
V-shaped, is placed facing away from the pendulum and helps to concentrate the stress
and encourage and encourage fracture. Testing can be performed at both Ambient and
reduced temperatures, sometimes as low -425F.
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Figure 4.5 Charpy equipment and its schematic standard charpy specimen (ASTM D256)

Fig 4.6 Impact testing specimens for various wt% of PALF Reinforced PP

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CHAPTER 5

5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The test result are shown and discussed in this section.

5.2 Tensile Strength

Figure 5.1 Tensile strength values on variations in volume fraction and fiber length

The tensile strength epoxy filled pineapple fiber composites with various fiber length is
presented in Figure 5.1. The composite tensile strength increases with increasing in the
fiber content up to 30% vf and then decreases at a 40% vf, but the value of tensile
strength increases with increasing fiber length. The optimum value of tensile strength was
obtained by 22.17 MPa at composition 30% volume fraction and 40mm fiber length.
However, further increase in fiber content the strength decreases. This decrease may be
due to the improper adhesion hinders the increase of tensile strength. As the fiber content
increases, instead of dispersion the gathering of fibers takes place and the resin cannot
wet the fibers due to non-entrance of resin in-between the two adjacent fibers,
The increase in fiber content results in increased brittleness of the
composites. Thus, as the fiber content increases, the degree of hindrance increases, which
in turn increases the stiffness. On the other hand as the fiber length increases, the tensile
modulus of the composites also increases. The lowest tensile strength value is obtained by

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12.80 MPa in the composition of the volume fraction 10% with the length of the shortest
fiber length (20mm). Maximum tensile strength in this research is 22.17 MPa, tensile
strength of automotive parts (car dashboard) with type of ABS plastic material is 20-40
MPa so that the result of this research has met the standard.

Based on the research that had been done by Kishor B.S et al. (2016) it shows
that, the higher tensile strength of 26, 27 MPa was obtained for the fiber of length
12mm compared to the fiber length of 3, 6, 9 and 15mm. From this experimental study, it
was observed that the fiber length greatly influences the tensile properties of reinforced
composites Yaakob et al. (2016) it showed that, the PLF loading of 70% with 6 cm in
length shows the higher values of tensile stress, which are 14.53 MPa.
Among the various factors, the final performance of the composite materials depends to a
large extent on the adhesion between the polymer matrix and the reinforcement and
therefore on the quality of the interface. To achieve optimum performance of the end
product, sufficient interaction between the matrix resin and the cellulosic material is
desired. This is often achieved by surface modification of the resin or the filler.

5.2 Impact Strength

Figure 5.2. Impact strength values on variations in volume fraction and fiber length.

Figure 5.2. shows the effect of fiber content and fiber length on the impact strength of
composites. It is observed that the impact strength increases with the increase in fiber
content up to 30% vf, and further it decreases. It has been reported that high fiber content

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increases the probability of fiber agglomeration and it stress concentration requiring less
energy for crack propagation. The impact strength of all composites increased with fiber
content up to 30 vf %. The reasons are that the fiber is capable of absorbing energy and
compression pressure which removes the voids contents in the composites because of
appreciative mix-up fiber and matrix. The maximum impact strength of 27.63 J/mm2 is
obtained for composites with 40 mm fiber length and 30 vf.% fiber content.
The maximum impact strength is 27.63 J/mm2. The impact strength of the
car dashboard that has the type of plastic material ABS is 13.48 J/mm2, so the results of
the research in terms of impact test can meet the standard dashboard of the car.
Based on the research that had been done by Kishor B.S et al. (2016) it shows that, the
higher impact strength of 6.41 J/mm2 was obtained for fiber of length 15mm compared
to the fiber length of 3, 6, 9 and 15mm. From this experimental study, it was observed
that the fiber length greatly influences the impact properties of reinforced composites.

5.2 Bending Test

Pineapple fiber composites tend to experience increased bending stress as volume

fractions and length of fiber increase, due to the strength of the fibers that dominate on
composite strength.
The bending test was conducted following the standard of ASTM D790-02. The test was
performed until the tensile failure occured.

Figure 5.3 Bending strength values on variations in volume fraction and fiber length

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Figure 5.3 shows that the bending strength increases with the increase in fiber content.
However the flexural strength of the PLF composite with 30/70% vf and 40mm fiber
length is found to be 35.53 N/mm2 which is higher among the others. The lowest of
bending strength occurs in the sample with the composite with 10/90 volume fraction and
shortest fiber length of 20 mm is found to be 10.73 N/mm2. Increasing the volume
fraction of composite fibers will be increase bending voltage. This happens because of
the bending load received objects will be retained by the matrix then passed evenly on the
fiber. The more fiber content then the load received every fiber will be increasingly
small, so that the load can be withstand the greater it is.

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CHAPTER 6

6. CONCLUSIONS

6.1 CONLUSIONS

Pineapple leaf fibre is very common in tropical regions and very simple to extract fibres
from its leaves. The utilization of pineapple leaf fibre in composite material is a new source
of materials which can be economic, ecofriendly, and recyclable. However, the main issue
of PALF is its hydroscopic nature, which makes a big hurdle for fibre utilization as a
reinforced material in polymer composites. Surface modification of PALF is required to improve
for good interfacial adhesion of PALF with polymers in fabrication of polymer composites.
Synthetic fibres can be replaced or partially substituted with PALF in fabrication of composite
products for different applications. The author concluded various recent works reported on
chemical modification of PALF and physical and mechanical properties of PALF reinforced
polymer composites and its hybrid. Pineapple is one of the natural fibres having highest
cellulosic content nearly 80%. Density of PALF is similar to other natural fibres while Young’s
modulus is very high, and tensile strength is highest among the related natural fibres. These
properties are suitable for its application as automotive components, building and construction
materials, and also furnitures.

The results of this present study showed that a useful composite with good properties
could be successfully developed using treated PALF as reinforcing agent for the PP
matrix In most of the examples, PALF fibres are reinforced with PP and unsaturated
polyester only, so it is required to study the behaviour of PALF with other resins to get it
wider applications in biocomposites and hybrid composites.

Finally to summarize everything, treated PALF has enhanced tensile properties in

Young’s modulus, flexural as well as impact properties of the PP.

The mechanical properties of natural composite reinforced with PLF from the Cayyenne
cultivar as a function of fibre loading have been studied and determined.

The experimental investigation on mechnical properties of PLF reinforced composites

leads to the following conclusions:
1) The PLF composite manufactured by hand lay-up process provides an opportunity
of replacing the synthetic materials with a higher strength, low cost alternative that

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is environmentally friendly.
2) Mechanical properties viz. Bending strength, Tensile strength, and Impact strength
of the PLF reinforced composite material is influenced by fiber content and fiber
length.
3) The tensile properties, impact and bending, it can be concluded that the PLF/epoxy
composite with the volume fraction ratios 30/70 with 40mm fiber length has the
greatest than the other one which are 22.17 MPa, 27.63 J/mm2 and 35.53 N/mm2
respectively.

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