THEVETIA PERUVIANA OIL-BASED COMPOSITES REINFORCED WITH SHORT SISAL FIBERS: FABRICATION AND PROPERTIES

Three sets of novel bio-composites were developed using different weight fractions of sisal fibers of 5 mm length to reinforce Thevetia peruviana oil (TPO) resin. The characterization of the composites was carried out using universal testing machine, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with Gwyddion software and charpy impact testing machine. The dependence of morphology and physical properties of the composites on the content of sisal fibers was investigated by scanning electron microscopy supported with Gwyddon software and tensile testing. The investigation showed that sisal fiber loading and polymer resin composition play an important role in improving the mechanical properties of the resulting composites; as the sisal fiber content increases from 0 to 15 wt. %, the TPO-based composites' young modulus varied between 64.2 to 78.4 MPa, the ultimate tensile strength varied between 1.7 to 2.0 MPa, the elongation varied between 59 to 61 %, the new bio-composites density varied between 0.871 to 0.882 gcm⁻³ depending on the fiber volume fraction. SEM images of the composites show that considerable improvements in the TPO-based bio-composites properties should be possible by optimization of the resin structure and fiber. The composites have properties that make it relevant for industrial application.