FRACTURE TOUGHNESS

ANALYSIS OF SISAL FIBER

REINFORCEMENT POLYESTER
COMPOSITE

BY
NAGA SUNDARAM.B.S

ABSTRACT
This project titled FRACTURE TOUGHNESS TEST
OF SISAL FIBRE REINFORCEMENT POLYESTER
COMPOSITES has been conceived having studying
about the utilization of natural fibres in polymer
composites. Due to the establishment of disposal methods
for glass fibre reinforced plastics. Among various natural
fibres, sisal fibre is of particular interest in that its
composites will have high tensile strength, high tensile
modulus, and low elongation at break beside its low cost
and ease of availability.

Now the project mainly concentrated on reinforcement

of polymer plastics with same proportions of sisal fibre
composites .These composites are subjected to the shear
stress to find the fracture. Thermosetting resins, namely
polyester, are commonly used in natural fiber composites.

WHAT IS A COMPOSITE MATERIAL?

A broad definition of composite is: Two or more

chemically distinct materials which when combined have

improved properties over the individual materials.
Composites could be natural or synthetic.
Wood is a good example of a natural composite,
combination of cellulose fiber and lignin. The cellulose
fiber provides strength and the lignin is the "glue" that
bonds and stabilizes the fiber.

FRACTURE TOUGHNESS :
Fracture toughness is a property which describes
the ability of a material containing a crack to
resist fracture, and is one of the most important properties
of any material for virtually all design applications. It is
denoted KIc and has the units of N/mm3/2.

Mode I crack Opening mode (a tensile stress normal

to the plane of the crack)

WHAT IS RESIN?
In polymer chemistry and material science,

resin is a solid or highly viscous

substance ,which are typically convertible
into polymers. such viscous substance can be
plant derived or synthetic in origin.
Unsaturated Polyester resin are the simplest
most economical resin systems that are
easiest to prepare and show good
performance. Millions of ton of this material is
used annually around the world.

WHAT IS FIBER?
A thread or filament from which a vegetable

tissue, mineral substance, or textile is formed.

Synthetic fibers can often be produced very
cheaply and in large amounts compared to
natural fibers, but for clothing natural fibers
can give some benefits, such as comfort, over
their synthetic counterparts.

WHAT IS SISAL?
Sisal, with the botanical name Agave sisalana, is a

species of Agave native to southern Mexico but

widely cultivated and naturalized in many other
countries.
It yields a stiff fiber used in making various
products. The term sisal may refer either to the
plant's common name or the fiber, depending on
the context.
It is sometimes referred to as "sisal hemp",
because for centuries hemp was a major source for
fiber, and other fiber sources were named after it.

SISAL FIGURE

Plant description
Sisal plants, Agave sisalana, consist of a

rosette of sword-shaped leaves about 1.52

meters (4.96.6 ft) tall. Young leaves may
have a few minute teeth along their margins,
but lose them as they mature.
The sisal plant has a 710 year life-span and
typically produces 200250 commercially
usable leaves. Each leaf contains an average
of around 1000 fibers. The fibers account for
only about 4% of the plant by weight. Sisal is
considered a plant of the tropics and
subtropics, since production benefits from

ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACTS:
Sisal farming initially caused environmental

degradation, because sisal plantations

replaced native forests, but is still considered
less damaging than many types of farming.
No chemical fertilizers are used in sisal
production, and although herbicides are
occasionally used, even this impact may be
eliminated, since most weeding is done by
hand.
The effluent from the decortication process
causes serious pollution when it is allowed to
flow into watercourses. In Tanzania there are

ACIDS USED:

Sodium hydroxide
Potassium permanganate
Malic acid
Stearic acid

CATALYST
A Substance that increases the rate of

chemical reaction without itself undergoing

any permanent chemical change.
The catalyst used in this process is Methyl
ethyl ketone peroxide.

ACCELERATOR
A substance that speeds up a chemical

process
The accelerator used in process is
Cobalt(II) naphthenate

MATERIAL SELECTION
Sisal fiber
Unsaturated polyester Resin
Methyl ethyl ketone peroxide
Silicon Rubber
Cobalt(II) naphthenate

OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

WORK:
Fabrication of sisal fiber composite.
Evaluation of fracture toughness of the sisal

fiber composite.
Comparison of Experimental result.

Preparation of Mould .

Fabrication of composites.

Testing of Composite as per ASTM Standard.

Prediction of Fracture toughness.

Comparison the fracture value

VOLUME FRACTION CALCULATION :

Volume fraction is defined as the ratio between

volume of fiber to the volume of composite.

Vf = Vfi / Vc

Vfi - Volume of fiber

Vc- Volume of composite

STRESS INTENSITY FACTOR:

Stress intensity factor K can be considered as a

estimate of fracture toughness.

It depends on the
1. Load
2.Flow depth
3.Geometry

Critical stress intensity factor for mode-1

Where
P- load at which crack
propagate
B- Thickness of the test
specimen
W- Length of the specimen
A - crack length

FORMULA:
MODE-I

CALCULATION:
Density of sisal fiber
1.4 g/cc
Density of unsaturated polyester resin
1.13g/cc
Total volume of mold
=300x300x3

s =
p =

=
270000mm3
Mass of sisal fiber
75.6 g
Weight of sisal fiber Wb
0.756N
Total weight of fiber W

=
=
=

Weight fraction of fiber + Weight fraction of matrix=1

So that,
Wfi + Wmi = 1

Wfi = Wsfi =0.20

Wmi = 1- Wsi= 1-0.20= 0.80

Wfi / f = Wgfi / g
= 0.756/1.4
= 0.54
Vf =
=
=

0.54/(0.54+0.707)
0.54/1.247
0.433x100=43.3%

MODE-I

DIMENSIONS:
Total length (L)
= 90mm,
Length from the centre of hole
= 67.5mm,
Crack length (A)
= 22.5mm
Half height (H)
= 50mm,
Thickness (B)
= 3mm

CALCULATION FOR EXPERIMENTAL

ANALYSIS :

f (a/w)= 6.068

f(a/w) =6.068
b*w^0.5

= 3*(67.5)^0.5
= 24.647

f(a/w) /b*(w^0.5)=
= 6.068/24.647
= 0.2461

sodium hydroxide 1

P
= 0.900KN
KIC = P/0.2461
= 0.9/0.2461
= 0.2215KN/mm3/2
sodium hydroxide 2
P
= 0.660KN
KIC = P/0.2461
= 0.660/0.2461
= 0.0.1624KN/mm3/2

Potassium permanganate 1

P = 0.895KN
KIC = P/0.2461
= 0.895/0.2461
= 0.220.KN/mm3/2
Potassium permanganate 2
P = 0.825KN
KIC = P/0.2461
= 0.825/0.2461
= 0.2030KN/mm3/2

Unsaturated sisal 1
P
= 1.065KN
KIC = P/0.2461
= 1.065/0.2461
= 0.0.2621KN/mm3/2

Unsaturated sisal 2
P
= 0.550KN
KIC = P/0.2461
= 0.550/0.2461
= 0.1353KN/mm3/2

Malic acid 1

P = 0.805KN
KIC = P/0.2461
= 0.805/0.2461
= 0.1981KN/mm3/2
Malic acid 2
P = 0.540KN
KIC = P/0.2461
= 0.540/0.2461
= 0.1329KN/mm3/2

Stearic acid 1
P = 1.545KN
KIC = P/0.2461
= 1.545/0.2461
= 0.3802KN/mm3/2
Stearic acid 2
P
= 1.130KN
KIC = P/0.2461
= 1.130/0.2461
= 0.2780KN/mm3/2

For sodium hydroxide

Average = (0.2216+0.1624)/2
= 0.1919

For Potassium permanganate

Average = (0.2203+0.2030)/2
= 0.2116

For unsaturated sisal

Average = (0.2621+0.1353)/2
= 0.1987

For Malic acid

Average = (0.1981+0.1329)/2
= 0.1655

For Stearic acid

Average = (0.3802+0.2780)/2
= 0.3291
From the above values a graph is
plotted below by taking FRACTURE
TOUGHNESS value on the Y axis and the
ACIDS on the X axis.

20% VOLUME FRACTION

0.35
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0

SH

PP

MA

SA

UN

Uses of sisal:
Traditionally, sisal has been the leading material for

agricultural twine (binder twine and baler twine)

because of its strength, durability, ability to stretch,
affinity for certain dyestuffs, and resistance to
deterioration in saltwater. The importance of this
traditional use is diminishing with competition from
polypropylene and the development of other
haymaking techniques, while new higher-valued sisal
products have been developed.
The sisal fiber is traditionally used for rope and twine,
and has many other uses, including paper, cloth, wall
coverings, carpets, and dartboards.

Apart from ropes, twines, and general cordage, sisal is

used in low-cost and specialty paper, dartboards,

buffing cloth, filters, geotextiles, mattresses, carpets,
handicrafts, wire rope cores. Sisal has been utilized as
an environmentally friendly strengthening agent to
replace asbestos and fiber glass in composite materials
in various uses including the automobile industry.
The lower-grade fiber is processed by the paper
industry because of its high content of cellulose and
hemicelluloses. The medium-grade fiber is used in the
cordage industry for making ropes, baler and binder
twine. Ropes and twines are widely employed for
marine, agricultural, and general industrial use. The
higher-grade fiber after treatment is converted into
yarns and used by the carpet industry.

Advantages of Composites
Higher Specific Strength (strength-to-weight ratio)
Composites have a higher specific strength than many other

materials. A distinct advantage of composites over other materials

is the ability to use many combinations of resins and
reinforcements, and therefore custom tailor the mechanical and
physical properties of a structure.
Design flexibility
Composites have an advantage over other materials because they
can be molded into complex shapes at relatively low cost. This
gives designers the freedom to create any shape or configuration.
Boats are a good example of the success of composites.
Corrosion resistance

Disadvantages of
Composites
Composites are highly anisotropic

The strength in composites vary as the direction along

which we measure changes (most engineering structural
materials are isotropic). As a result, all other properties
such as, stiffness, thermal expansion, thermal and
electrical conductivity and creep resistance are also
anisotropic. The relationship between stress and strain
(force and deformation) is much more complicated than
in isotropic materials
Composites materials are difficult to inspect with
conventional ultrasonic, eddy current and visual NDI
methods such as radiography

Sisal Advantages:
100% biodegradable and sustainable.
It is extremely hard wearing and strong.
Antistatic due to natural fiber helping to

control the humidity in the atmosphere.

Natural sound insulation.
Recommendation for those prone to allergies
and asthmatic reaction.

SISAL DISADVANTAGES:
Like many other natural floor coverings, sisal is
not especially comfortable to sit on however,
it is very pleasant to walk on and provides a
natural massage for the soles of your feet.
Another drawback is that sisal cannot be used
outdoors, not is it recommended in areas that
are frequently wet, such as kitchens and
bathrooms. It is also not a cheap flooring
option.

CONCLUSION
We can obtain from the various tests, it is

understanding that it can be used in

applications of higher strength and less
weight.
Complicated shapes and size can also be
developed with reduced material wastage.

Thank you

REFERENCES
K.G.Satyanarayana, K,Sukumaran, Kulkarni,A.G, Pillai

S.G.K and Rohatgi (1984), Performance of banana

fabric polyester composites in proceedings of
Second international conference on Composite
Structure 13-16 Sep 1983,ed.I.H.Marshall,Applied
Science publishers, London :535-537.
K.G.Satyanarayana, K. Sukumaran, P.S.Mukherjee, C.
Pavithran and S.G.KPillai, (1990) natural FiberPolymer Composites, Journal of Cement & Concrete
Composites, v 12: 117-136.
Lightsey.G.R (1983),Polymer application of renewable
resource materials,