Читать книгу Mechanical and Dynamic Properties of Biocomposites - Группа авторов - Страница 23

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is a perennial crop known for its high‐value fruits from which oil is produced. It mostly grows in tropical regions, such as Southeast Asia and West/Southwest Africa. Oil is extracted by stripping the fruits (nuts) from the bunches, a process that leaves the empty‐fruit bunches (EFBs) as waste material [37]. Fibers of oil palm are usually derived from the oil palm empty‐fruit bunches (OPEFB) as well as mesocarp. In composite materials, the OPEFB fibers are mostly used, as they contain the highest hemicellulose content in comparison with pineapple, coir, banana, as well as soft and hardwood fibers [11].

A three‐ply hybrid sample of jute/OPEFB fibers composites with epoxy resin reinforcement was prepared by Jawaid et al. [38], fixing the jute/OPEFB ratio (by weight) at 1 : 4. They investigated the void content, chemical resistance, as well as tensile behaviors of the hybrid composites. From the results obtained, the OPEFB/jute/OPEFB and jute/OPEFB/jute composites showed great resistance to chemicals: toluene (C₇H₈), benzene (C₆H₆), water (H₂O), 40% of nitric acid (HNO₃), carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄), hydrochloric acid (HCl), 5% of acetic acid (CH₃COOH), 20% sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃), 10% of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and 10% of ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH). A lower void content was displayed in the jute/OPEFB/jute than pure OPEFB as well as OPEFB/jute/OPEFB composites, because the mats of the jute fiber adhered better to the epoxy resin with higher compatibility. At the outer ply, the jute fibers withstood the tensional stress due to their high strengths, and the core (OPEFB fiber) absorbed and distributed the stresses evenly within the composite sample systems. Also, it was evident from Table 1.7 that the jute/OPEFB hybrid exhibited higher tensile responses (both strength and modulus) as well as improved adhesion bond between the fiber and the matrix, when compared with pure OPEFB composite.