Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

ScienceDirect
Materials Today: Proceedings 4 (2017) 27932799 www.materialstoday.com/proceedings

5th International Conference on Materials Processing and Characterization

Study of Effect of Surface Treatment on Mechanical Properties of

Natural Fiber Reinforced Composites
Jai Inder Preet Singha,1, *,Vikas Dhawanb, Sehijpal Singhc,Kapil Jangidd
a
Research Scholar, Mechanical Engineering Department GNDEC, Punjab Technical University, Ludhiana 141010, Punjab, India
1
Assistant Professor, School of Mechanical Engineering, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144402, Punjab, India
Professor, CGC, Landra, Punjab, India
c
Professor, Mechanical & Production Engineering Department, GNDEC, Punjab Technical University, Ludhiana 141010, Punjab, India
d
Post Graduate Student, School of Mechanical Engineering, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144402, Punjab, India

Abstract

The growing environmental concerns, global warming, waste management issues, dwindling fossil resources, and rising oil prices
have resulted in increase in research for newermaterials that are friendly to our health and environment. Green products are being
increasingly promoted for sustainable development.The present research is an attempt to develop and study the mechanical
properties of the natural fiber reinforced polymer based composites which are partially biodegradable.In this study different
natural fibers like jute, banana and sisal have beenused as reinforcement and epoxy as matrix to make the natural fiber reinforced
polymer unidirectional composite with the help of hand layup and compression molding.Mechanical properties like tensile
strength, flexural strength and impact strength for treated and non treated natural fiber reinforced polymerunidirectional
composites have been investigated and compared.It has been found that tensile strength of the composites has improved due to
incorporation of natural fibers topolymers.Further a considerable increase in tensile and flexural strength has been observed with
the use of surface treatment method;howeverimpact strength has been tremendouslydecreased with the use of surface treatment.
It has also been found that the jute reinforced polymer composite shows the highest tensile strength.

2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Conference Committee Members of 5th International Conference of Materials
Processing and Characterization (ICMPC 2016).

Keywords:Natural Fiber; Polymer based Composite; Surface Treatment; Hand Layup; Compression Moulding

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +91-8146577657.

E-mail address:jaiinderpreetsingh@gmail.com, jaiinder.14740@lpu.co.in

2214-7853 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the conference committee members of the 5th International conference on Materials Processing
and Characterization.
2794 Jai Inder Preet Singh/ Materials Today: Proceedings 4 (2017) 27932799

1. Introduction

Global environmental concerns, such as rapidly depleting petroleum resources, rising average global temperature,
rising sea levels, decrease in polar ice caps, have a pressure on human and industry. These are the reasons why green
products are increasingly promoted for sustainable development.Sustainable development has become a major issue
in recent years, and the foreseeable depletion of oil-based resources will require the use of biopolymer materials
from renewable resources[1].A number of innovative works are reported on natural fiber based bio composites in the
direction of improving the mechanical properties and make them eligible in engineering application. Green
composites are also classified as partially biodegradable green composite or fully biodegradable green composites.
Partially green composites are the composites in which one of the constituents like reinforcement or matrix is
synthetic and other constituents would be from natural resources. In fully biodegradable composites, both the
constituents are from the natural resources like natural fibers as a reinforcement and natural polymer as a matrix.
Many researchers have studied the partially biodegradable composites using different types of natural fibers with
synthetic thermoplastics. In most of the studies, natural fibers have been used in randomly oriented, short-fiber form
using extrusion and/or injection molding process [2]. Vikas et.al [3]developed theepoxy and polyester based glass
fiber reinforced polymer compositeand studied the effect of natural fillers and found that the natural fillers provide
better results in polyester-based composites. The composites with coconut coir have better mechanical properties as
compared to the other fillers in glass/epoxy composites. Fomuena et.al [4]studied the characterization of green
composites with bio based epoxy matrices and bio- fillers derived from seashell waste. It has been found that the
addition of calcium carbonate from sea shell is an effective method to increase the mechanical properties of bio
composites and to reduce the residue from the industrial production. Shih et.al [5]developed the epoxy based green
composites from plant fiber and waste fibers like pineapple leaf fiber, banana fiber and recycled disposable
chopstick fiber and chemical treated with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and investigated their mechanical
properties. Ithas been found that by using 20% weight as reinforcement, tensile strength of reinforced epoxy
composite could be increased from 80% to 117% as compared to the pristine epoxy. Generally the surface
modification enhances the mechanical properties of the fibers [6-10]. Nor et.al [11]studied the effect of fibers
treatedwith sodium hydroxide (NaOH) on the thermal properties of PLA/kenaf green nano composite. It was found
that the 1.0M treated fibers composites gives the better thermal properties than the 0.5M and 1.5M treated fiber
composites.Osorio et.al [12]had developed the novel mechanical extraction process to obtain the long bamboo fibers
to be used as reinforcement for structural applications. Unidirectional bamboo fiber/epoxy composite were produced
with untreated and alkali treated fibers to evaluate the effectiveness of new reinforcing material. It has been
observed that the transverse strength increases at lower alkali concentration, but transverse three point bending
strength of untreated bamboo in epoxy was already quite high at around 33MPa. Gomes et.al [13]developed and
studied the effect of alkali treatment on tensile properties of curaua fiber green composite and found that alkali
treated fiber composites increased in fracture strain twice times more than untreated fiber composites, without the
considerable decrease in strength. Cho et.al [14]discussed the property improvement of natural fiber reinforced green
composites by water treatment. He had developed the jute, kenaf and henequen reinforced thermoplastic polylactic
acid and polypropylene matrix composites. Prior to the fabrication of green composites, natural fibers were surface
treated with tap water by static soaking and dynamic ultrasonication method. Results shows that the property
improvement of natural fiber reinforced composites strongly depend on the treatment method. H.
Bisaria[15]discussed the effect of fiber length on mechanical properties are found that tensile and flexural properties
were found maximum for composites with 15 mm length of fiber.K.Kishore[16]had evaluated the flexural and water
absorption properties of short kenaf fiber composites and conclude that flexural strength was increased with fiber
surface treatment.Present study aims to investigate the mechanical properties of green composites and study the
effect of surface treatment on mechanical properties. In this study different types of natural fibers like (jute, sisal and
banana) have been taken as reinforcement and epoxy as matrix material.
 Jai Inder Preet Singh/ Materials Today: Proceedings 4 (2017) 27932799 2795

2. Experimental Procedures

2.1 Materials

In this study Jute, sisal and banana fibers have been used along with araldite AW106 epoxy resin as matrix
material and HV953 as hardener. The properties of matrix material are mentioned in the table 1.

Table1. Properties of epoxy resin used as matrix[17]

Properties Values

Density at 25C 1.15- 1.25 g/cm3

Viscosity at 25C 30-50 Pas

Specific gravity 1.15 ca

2.2 Fabrication of composites

In this studyepoxy resin AW106 and HV953 hardener were mixed in the ratio of 10:8 by weight. Before
taking into use, fibers were cleaned for removing dirt, and extra particles. Fibers were soaked in water for 2 days at
room temperature for completely wetting of dirt and extra particles for easy removal. Then fibers were rinse with
water 10-12 times, removal of dirt was seen.Fibers were allowed to get dry in sunlight for 3 days till it gets
completely dry. After drying, combing of fibers was done in order to remove broken fibers.
Fabrication of composites for testing of tensile and flexural strength was done as per ASTM standards D3039 and
D790-02 respectively. In this study, all thespecimens were prepared with the 40% constant fiber volume fraction.
The decision of taking 40% constant fiber volume fraction is based on the literature survey which shows the good
results.Fiber volume fraction was calculated using the following equation [13] mentioned below.

= 1 (1)

Where Vf is the fiber volume fraction, W is the weight of composite, Wfis the weight of fiber, Pmis the density of
the matrix and V is the volume of composite.
For the preparation of composites, fibers were cut along the length as per the size of the mould and combed it
properly so that there would not be any clumps. Mold was specially designed to produce a 4mm and 1mm thick
laminate. Composite laminates were prepared using conventional hand layup technique and compression molding in
a mold with dimensions as320 mm by 120 mm at room temperature. Resin and hardener were mixed and stirred
mechanically in the ratio of 10:8 by weight. First the layer of epoxy resin was put on the mould with the help of
spatula. Fibers were carefully spread over the resin. Then the epoxy resin was applied over the fibers with the help
of spatula till all the fibers get wetted. The same procedure was repeated for rest of fibers. All fibers were placed
unidirectionaly in the mold. After that upper mold was placed on the lower mold and pressed it slightly to remove
the extra resin out of it. Approx 200 KG weight was placed on the mold and kept it for a complete day for curing at
room temperature. Composite laminates were prepared as per the desired dimensions. Tensile specimens and
flexural were cut from the sheet for further testing. Figure 1 shows the schematic of hand layup and compression
molding method for fabrication of laminate composite
2796 Jai Inder Preet Singh/ Materials Today: Proceedings 4 (2017) 27932799

Fig 1 Schematic of hand layup and compression molding method for fabrication of laminate composite[2]

Different composites were prepared using the same method of fabrication with different reinforcement as jute,
sisal and banana fibers. Figure 2 (a) and (b) shows the Jute and sisal reinforced epoxy based composites.

Fig 2 (a)Jute fiber reinforced epoxy composite (b) Sisal fiber reinforced epoxy composite

3. Mechanical Characterization

3.1 Tensile Strength.The tensile test was performed in accordance with the ASTMD3039 standard. The test
specimen size was 250 mm x 15 mm x 1 mm. The test was performed on universal testing machine (U.T.M) of 10-
tonne capacity. The flat specimens of required size were fixed between the grips of each head of the testing machine
 Jai Inder Preet Singh/ Materials Today: Proceedings 4 (2017) 27932799 2797

in such a way that the direction of force applied to the specimen is coincident with the longitudinal axis of the
specimen.

3.2 Flexural strength.Three point bend test was performed as per the ASTM D790-02 standard. The test
specimen was 154 mm x 13 mm x 4 mm. The test was performed on universal testing machine.Two parallel roller
supports were used to support the specimen and load was given by means of loading nose midway between the
supports.

3.3 Impact strength.Charpy impact strength specimens were prepared as per the ASTM standards. The test
specimen of 63.5 mm x 15 mm x 4 mmwas prepared and V notch was provided using the triangular file of 2mm.
The specimen was fixed in the vice of the testing machine. When the pendulum was released with the help of
operating lever, then the amount of energy absorbed by the material was observed and the impact strength was
calculated.

4. Results and Discussion

Three different types of natural fibers like jute, sisal and banana were used as reinforcement for making an epoxy
based composites.Various characterization tests were conducted and their results are depicted in the table 2 and are
discussed in following sections.

Table 2Summary of experimental findings

Types ofTensile strengthTensile strengthFlexural strength Flexural strength Impact Impact

Fiber Non treated fiber Treated fiber Non treated fiber Treated fiber Strength Strength
(N/mm2) (N/mm2) (N/mm2) (N/mm2) NT fiber Treated fiber
(KJ/m2) (KJ/m2)
Jute 179 432 85 89 480.76 76.92
Sisal 177 275.6 65 72 346.15 101.92
Banana 102 288 68 75 47588.46

Fig3aTensile strength of composite with/without treatment b) Flexural strength of composite with/without treatment

4.1 Tensile Strength.It was observed that the tensile strength of non-treated jute fiber epoxy based composites
showedbetter results as compared to the other non-treated sisal and banana based composites. In general tensile
strength of epoxy was 30-35 N/mm2, but the tensile strength of natural fiberreinforced epoxy based composites with
40% fiber volume fraction shows the significant increase in the tensile strength with the maximum value of 179
2798 Jai Inder Preet Singh/ Materials Today: Proceedings 4 (2017) 27932799

MPa. It directly indicates the positive effect of reinforcement in the material. It has also been observed that the
improved tensile properties of all the composites by the use of surface treatment.Among the three composites, Jute
fiber reinforced epoxy based composites shows the highest tensile strength of 179 and 432 MPa for non treated and
treated fibers respectively. On 5% NaOH treatment the lignin, cellulose layer around the fibers was removed which
increases the fiber wettability and thus increases the overall surface area of interaction between fiber and resin and
results in increase in bonding strength and tensile strength. Fig 3ashows the comparison of tensile strength of non-
treated and treated fiber composites.

4.2 Flexural Strength. Three point bending test was conducted on UTM and observed that the flexural strength
ofnon-treated jute fiber epoxy based composite shows better flexural strength as compared to other non treated
composites. There was increase in strength (Approx 4 to 10%) of the composites after surface treatment of thefibers.
Treated Jute fiber epoxy based composite shows the better strength of 89MPa as compared to other treated fiber
epoxy composites. Fig 3b shows the comparison of flexural strength of non treated and treated fiber composites.

4.3 Impact Strength. Charpy test was conducted on Impact testing machine and observed that the impact strength of
non-treated jute fiber epoxy based composite shows better impact strength as compared to other non treated
composites. These was a drastically decrease in the strength of the composites after surface treatment of the
fibers.Fig 4 shows the comparison in impact strength of composites with and without surface treatment.

Fig4 Impact strength of composite with/without treatment

5. Conclusions

In the present research endeavor, various characterization tests were conducted over treated and non treated
natural fibers epoxy based composites. In this study various natural fibers like jute, sisal and banana were used
as reinforcement and the effect of surface treatment on mechanical properties has been studied and the
following conclusion can be drawn.

(1) It has been found that tensile properties of the composites have improved due to incorporation
of natural fibers to polymers.
(2) Natural fibers reinforced polymer matrix composite have good mechanical properties and
these properties can be enhanced by surface treatment with 5% NaOH treatment.
(3) Tensile strength was increased by 50% after alkali treatment.
(4) Treated and non-treated jute fibre based composite has highest tensile strength as compared to
other composites.
(5) Significant increase in the flexural strength of all composite with surface treatment.
(6) Non treated Jute fiber based composite shows the maximum Impact strength.
 Jai Inder Preet Singh/ Materials Today: Proceedings 4 (2017) 27932799 2799

References

1. Thakur, V.K., Singha, A.S. and Thakur, M.K. 2011. Green Composites from Natural Cellulosic Fibers. Germany: GmbH & Co. KG
2. P. K. Bajpai, I. Singh, and J. Madaan,J. Reinf. Plast. Compos, vol. 31, no. 24, (2012),PP. 17121724.
3. V. Dhawan, S. Singh, and I. Singh, J. Compos., vol. 2013, (2013),PP. 18.
4. V. Fombuena, L. Bernardi, O. Fenollar, T. Boronat, and R. Balart, Mater. Des., vol. 57, (2014) PP. 168174.
5. Y. F. Shih, J. X. Cai, C. S. Kuan, and C. F. Hsieh, Compos. Part B Eng., vol. 43, no. 7, (2012) PP. 28172821.
6. V. Manikandan, J. T. W. Jappes, S. M. S. Kumar, and P. Amuthakkannan, Compos. Part B, vol. 43, no. 2, (2012), PP. 812818.
7. L. Yan, N. Chouw, and X. Yuan, J. Reinf. Plast. Compos. , vol. 31, no. 6, (2012), PP. 425437.
8. B. K. Goriparthi, K. N. S. Suman, and N. Mohan Rao, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., vol. 43, no. 10, (2012), PP. 18001808.
9. W. Sujaritjun, P. Uawongsuwan, and W. Pivsa-art, Energy Procedia, vol. 34, (2013), PP. 664672.
10. S. H. Lee and Y. S. Song, J. Compos. Mater., vol. 47, no. 26, (2012), PP. 32493255.
11. W. Nor, R. Wan, S. N. Surip, N. N. Azmi, N. N. Bonnia, H. Anuar, H. N. Azlina, and S. B. A. Razak, Advanced Material Research,
vol. 576, (2012) , PP. 342344.
12. L. Osorio, E. Trujillo, a. W. Van Vuure, and I. Verpoest, J. Reinf. Plast. Compos., vol. 30, no. 5, (2011) PP. 396408.
13. A. Gomes, Composites :Part A , vol. 38, (2007), PP. 18111820.
14. D. Cho, J. M. Seo, H. S. Lee, C. W. Cho, S. O. Han, and W. H. Park, Adv. Compos. Mater., vol. 16, no. 4, (2007) , PP. 299314.
15. H. Bisaria, Materials Today: Proceedings, Vol 2 Issue 4-5 (2015) PP 1193-1199.
16. K. Kishore, K.Raja, S.Sripathy, International journal of advanced material manufacturing and characterization, Vol 3 issue 2 (2013)
503-507.
17. Technical data sheet of AW106 and HV 953 U.