This study is aimed at determining the interfacial adhesion strength (IAS) of kenaf fibres using different chemical treatments in hydrochloric (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) with different concentrations. Single fibre pullout tests (SFPT) were carried out for both untreated and treated fibres partially embedded into three different polymer matrices; polyester, epoxy, and polyurethane (PU) as reinforcement blocks and tested under dry loading conditions. The study revealed that kenaf fibres treated with 6% NaOH subjected to polyester, epoxy, and PU matrices exhibits excellent IAS while poor in acidic treatment. The effect of SFPT results was mainly attributed to chemical composition of the fibres, types of fibre treatments, and variation in resin viscosities. By scanning electron microscopy examination of the material failure morphology, the fibres experienced brittle and ductile fibre breakage mechanisms after treatment with acidic and alkaline solutions. 1. Introduction Presently, critical driving forces such as cost, weight reduction coupled with increased emphasis in research on renewable materials has resulted in extensive growing interests on natural fibres for composite applications. This is due to the fact that natural fibres are less costly and have low specific weight and higher strength and stiffness than glass fibre which was previously reported by Gill and Yousif [1]. Liu et al. [2] reported that natural fibres are readily available from renewable sources, where their production requires little energy by taking in CO2 and releasing O2 back to the environment. Furthermore, Joshi et al. [3] and Quig and Dennison [4] revealed that natural fibres possess good thermal and acoustic insulating properties, low in density (i.e., low wear of tooling and no skin irritation), and are producible with low investment. However, Fukuhara [5] stated that natural fibre composites exhibit low environmental impact resistance and are subject to moist degradation that had limited their usage on nonstructural applications. Recent research by Dillon [6] showed that significant improvements of these properties can be attained via appropriate fibre treatment. As a result, treated natural fibre composites are now being used extensively in many structural applications such as natural fibre reinforced car roof and catamaran hull. Moreover, due to overwhelming interest of using natural fibres in the aforesaid, Quig and Dennison [4] and Nirmal et al. [7] have forecasted that there will be a dramatic increase of more than USD $1634 million potential on the consumption of
References
[1]
N. S. Gill and B. F. Yousif, “Wear and frictional performance of betelnut fibre-reinforced polyester composite,” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part J: Journal of Engineering Tribology, vol. 223, no. 2, pp. 183–194, 2009.
[2]
W. Liu, A. K. Mohanty, P. Askeland, L. T. Drzal, and M. Misra, “Influence of fiber surface treatment on properties of Indian grass fiber reinforced soy protein based biocomposites,” Polymer, vol. 45, no. 22, pp. 7589–7596, 2004.
[3]
S. V. Joshi, L. T. Drzal, A. K. Mohanty, and S. Arora, “Are natural fiber composites environmentally superior to glass fiber reinforced composites?” Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 371–376, 2004.
[4]
J. B. Quig and R. W. Dennison, “The complementary nature of fibers from natural and from synthetic polymers,” Textile Research Journal, vol. 24, pp. 361–373, 1954.
[5]
M. Fukuhara, “Innovation in polyester fibers: from silk-like to new polyester,” Textile Research Journal, vol. 63, no. 7, pp. 387–391, 1993.
[6]
J. H. Dillon, “Current problems and future trends in synthetic fibers,” Textile Research Journal, vol. 23, pp. 298–312, 1953.
[7]
U. Nirmal, J. Hashim, S. T. W. Lau, Y. My, and B. F. Yousif, “Betelnut fibres as an alternative to glass fibres to reinforce thermoset composites: a comparative study,” Textile Research Journal, vol. 82, no. 11, pp. 1107–1120, 2012.
[8]
S. H. Aziz and M. P. Ansell, “The effect of alkalization and fibre alignment on the mechanical and thermal properties of kenaf and hemp bast fibre composites: Part 1. polyester resin matrix,” Composites Science and Technology, vol. 64, no. 9, pp. 1219–1230, 2004.
[9]
S. H. Aziz, M. P. Ansell, S. J. Clarke, and S. R. Panteny, “Modified polyester resins for natural fibre composites,” Composites Science and Technology, vol. 65, no. 3-4, pp. 525–535, 2005.
[10]
M. J. John and S. Thomas, “Biofibres and biocomposites,” Carbohydrate Polymers, vol. 71, no. 3, pp. 343–364, 2008.
[11]
J. P. McNally and F. A. McCord, “Cotton quality study,” Textile Research Journal, vol. 30, pp. 715–751, 1960.
[12]
L. G. Ray, “The role of synthetic fibers in the textile industry of the future,” Textile Research Journal, vol. 22, pp. 144–151, 1952.
[13]
L. Y. Mwaikambo and E. T. N. Bisanda, “Performance of cotton-kapok fabric-polyester composites,” Polymer Testing, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 181–198, 1999.
[14]
B. F. Yousif and H. Ku, “Suitability of using coir fiber/polymeric composite for the design of liquid storage tanks,” Materials and Design, vol. 36, pp. 847–853, 2012.
[15]
T. Alsaeed, B. F. Yousif, and H. Ku, “The potential of using date palm fibres as reinforcement for polymeric composites,” Materials & Design, vol. 43, pp. 177–184, 2013.
[16]
A. Shalwan and B. F. Yousif, “In state of art: mechanical and tribological behaviour of polymeric composites based on natural fibres,” Materials and Design, vol. 48, pp. 14–24, 2013.
[17]
A. Brown, “The mechanical properties of fibers,” Textile Research Journal, vol. 25, pp. 617–628, 1955.
[18]
M. Brahmakumar, C. Pavithran, and R. M. Pillai, “Coconut fibre reinforced polyethylene composites: effect of natural waxy surface layer of the fibre on fibre/matrix interfacial bonding and strength of composites,” Composites Science and Technology, vol. 65, no. 3-4, pp. 563–569, 2005.
[19]
P. Kenins, “Influence of fiber type and moisture on measured fabric-to-skin friction,” Textile Research Journal, vol. 64, no. 12, pp. 722–728, 1994.
[20]
U. Nirmal, N. Singh, J. Hashim, S. T. W. Lau, and N. Jamil, “On the effect of different polymer matrix and fibre treatment on single fibre pullout test using betelnut fibres,” Materials and Design, vol. 32, no. 5, pp. 2717–2726, 2011.
[21]
L. A. Pothan, Z. Oommen, and S. Thomas, “Dynamic mechanical analysis of banana fiber reinforced polyester composites,” Composites Science and Technology, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 283–293, 2003.
[22]
N. Sgriccia, M. C. Hawley, and M. Misra, “Characterization of natural fiber surfaces and natural fiber composites,” Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, vol. 39, no. 10, pp. 1632–1637, 2008.
[23]
Z. Leman, S. M. Sapuan, A. M. Saifol, M. A. Maleque, and M. M. H. M. Ahmad, “Moisture absorption behavior of sugar palm fiber reinforced epoxy composites,” Materials and Design, vol. 29, no. 8, pp. 1666–1670, 2008.
[24]
C. A. Harper, Handbook of Plastics, Elastomers and composites, McGraw Hill Professional Book, New York, NY, USA, 1996.
[25]
F. G. Torres and M. L. Cubillas, “Study of the interfacial properties of natural fibre reinforced polyethylene,” Polymer Testing, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 694–698, 2005.
[26]
R. D. Cordes and I. M. Daniel, “Determination of interfacial properties from observations of progressive fiber debonding and pullout,” Composites Engineering, vol. 5, no. 6, pp. 633–648, 1995.
[27]
S. Narish, B. F. Yousif, and D. Rilling, “Adhesive wear of thermoplastic composite based on kenaf fibres,” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers J: Journal of Engineering Tribology, vol. 225, no. 2, pp. 101–109, 2011.
[28]
C. W. Chin and B. F. Yousif, “Potential of kenaf fibres as reinforcement for tribological applications,” Wear, vol. 267, no. 9-10, pp. 1550–1557, 2009.
[29]
M. Bernard, A. Khalina, A. Ali et al., “The effect of processing parameters on the mechanical properties of kenaf fibre plastic composite,” Materials and Design, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 1039–1043, 2011.
[30]
T. Nishino, K. Hirao, M. Kotera, K. Nakamae, and H. Inagaki, “Kenaf reinforced biodegradable composite,” Composites Science and Technology, vol. 63, no. 9, pp. 1281–1286, 2003.
[31]
J.-K. Kim, C. Baillie, and Y.-W. Mai, “Interfacial debonding and fibre pull-out stresses,” Journal of Materials Science, vol. 27, no. 12, pp. 3143–3154, 1992.
[32]
R. Agrawal, N. S. Saxena, K. B. Sharma, S. Thomas, and M. S. Sreekala, “Activation energy and crystallization kinetics of untreated and treated oil palm fibre reinforced phenol formaldehyde composites,” Materials Science and Engineering A, vol. 277, no. 1-2, pp. 77–82, 2000.
[33]
X. Li, L. G. Tabil, and S. Panigrahi, “Chemical treatments of natural fiber for use in natural fiber-reinforced composites: a review,” Journal of Polymers and the Environment, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 25–33, 2007.
[34]
M. M. Kabir, H. Wang, T. Aravinthan, F. Cardona, and K.-T. Lau, “Effects of natural fibre surface on composite properties: a review,” in Energy, Environment and Sustainability, pp. 94–99, 2007.
[35]
K. J. Wong, B. F. Yousif, and K. O. Low, “The effects of alkali treatment on the interfacial adhesion of bamboo fibres,” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part L: Journal of Materials: Design and Applications, vol. 224, no. 3, pp. 139–148, 2010.
[36]
A. Valadez-Gonzalez, J. M. Cervantes-Uc, R. Olayo, and P. J. Herrera-Franco, “Effect of fiber surface treatment on the fiber-matrix bond strength of natural fiber reinforced composites,” Composites B: Engineering, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 309–320, 1999.
[37]
B. F. Yousif, S. T. W. Lau, and S. McWilliam, “Polyester composite based on betelnut fibre for tribological applications,” Tribology International, vol. 43, no. 1-2, pp. 503–511, 2010.
[38]
R. A. Khan, M. A. Khan, H. U. Zaman et al., “Comparative studies of mechanical and interfacial properties between jute and e-glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites,” Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, vol. 29, no. 7, pp. 1078–1088, 2010.
[39]
M. S. Huda, L. T. Drzal, A. K. Mohanty, and M. Misra, “Effect of fiber surface-treatments on the properties of laminated biocomposites from poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and kenaf fibers,” Composites Science and Technology, vol. 68, no. 2, pp. 424–432, 2008.
[40]
B. F. Yousif and N. S. M. El-Tayeb, “Adhesive wear performance of T-OPRP and UT-OPRP composites,” Tribology Letters, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 199–208, 2008.
[41]
M. Rokbi, “Effect of chemical treatment on flexure properties of natural fiber-reinforced polyester composite,” Procedia Engineering, vol. 10, pp. 2092–2097, 2011.
[42]
A. Oláh and G. J. Vancso, “Characterization of adhesion at solid surfaces: development of an adhesion-testing device,” European Polymer Journal, vol. 41, no. 12, pp. 2803–2823, 2005.
[43]
U. Nirmal, B. F. Yousif, D. Rilling, and P. V. Brevern, “Effect of betelnut fibres treatment and contact conditions on adhesive wear and frictional performance of polyester composites,” Wear, vol. 268, no. 11-12, pp. 1354–1370, 2010.
[44]
M. Y. Quek and C. Y. Yue, “An improved analysis for axisymmetric stress distributions in the single fibre pull-out test,” Journal of Materials Science, vol. 32, no. 20, pp. 5457–5465, 1997.
