0000000000217690
AUTHOR
F Bongiorno
Low-velocity impact behaviour of green epoxy biocomposite laminates reinforced by sisal fibers
Abstract Due to its good mechanical characteristics, low cost and high availability in the current market, sisal fiber is one of the most used for the manufacturing of biocomposites in various industrial fields (automotive, marine, civil construction etc.). The particular sub-fibrillar structure of the sisal fiber (similar to aramid fibers) and the corresponding anisotropic behavior detected by recent research activities, suggest that such biocomposites should exhibit also high impact strength, in such a way to permit their advantageously use also for the manufacturing of crashworthy components (bumpers, helmets, protection systems etc.), that are at the same time also eco-friendly, lightwe…
New concept in bioderived composites: Biochar as toughening agent for improving performances and durability of agave-based epoxy biocomposites
Biocomposites are increasingly used in the industry for the replacement of synthetic materials, thanks to their good mechanical properties, being lightweight, and having low cost. Unfortunately, in several potential fields of structural application their static strength and fatigue life are not high enough. For this reason, several chemical treatments on the fibers have been proposed in literature, although still without fully satisfactory results. To overcome this drawback, in this study we present a procedure based on the addition of a carbonaceous filler to a green epoxy matrix reinforced by Agave sisalana fibers. Among all carbon-based materials, biochar was selected for its environment…
Influence of the anisotropy of sisal fibers on the mechanical properties of high performance unidirectional biocomposite lamina and micromechanical models
Abstract High performance biocomposites reinforced by sisal fibers, are between the most promising materials that could be used in various fields, from automotive to civil constructions, thanks to their good mechanical performance, as well as to the low cost and the great availability of the fiber. Nevertheless, at present their practical use is prevented by the limited knowledge of their mechanical performance. The results of the present study have shown that the intimate fibrillar structure of the sisal fiber is associated with a high anisotropy involving not only the elastic parameters, but also the damage processes with typical fiber splitting phenomena, that influence noticeably the bi…
Mode I translaminar fracture toughness of high performance laminated biocomposites reinforced by sisal fibers: Accurate measurement approach and lay-up effects
Abstract The present work performs a systematic experimental analysis of the translaminar fracture behavior of high performance biocomposites constituted by green epoxy reinforced by sisal fibers, by varying the main influence parameters as fiber concentration and lay-up. Despite the corrective function properly introduced to take into account the anisotropy as well as the use of the equivalent crack length, the study shows that the LEFM does not give accurate estimations of the fracture toughness, because the extension of the near tip damaged zone is higher than the singular dominated one. Accurate estimations can be obtained instead by the proposed modified area method that takes into acc…
Enhancement of Static and Fatigue Strength of Short Sisal Fiber Biocomposites by Low Fraction Nanotubes
AbstractThanks to good mechanical performances, high availability, low cost and low weight, the agave sisalana fiber allows to obtain biocomposites characterised by high specific properties, potentially very attractive for the replacement of synthetic materials in various industrial fields. Unfortunately, due to the low strength versus transversal damage processes mainly related to the matrix brittleness and/or to the low fiber/matrix adhesion, the tensile performance of random short fiber biocomposites are quite low, and to date most of the fiber treatments proposed in literature to improve the fiber-matrix adhesion, have not led to very satisfactory results. In order to overcome such a dr…