ABSTRACT

Increased ecological awareness, as well as stringent laws and legislation by government agencies, have restricted the use of synthetic fibers as reinforcement. This cognizance shifted the interest of engineers and research fraternity toward the use of natural fibers as reinforcement in polymers to develop sustainable composites. The current experimental investigation deals with the extraction and characterization of ‘munja’ fibers, extracted from Saccharum munja grass. A novel method has been developed for extraction of fibers from the grass followed by extensive evaluation of its physical (structure, density, crystallinity), morphological (surface area, voids), chemical (surface chemistry, hydrophobicity), thermal (thermogravimetry, activation energy), and mechanical properties for its reinforcement potential in polymer matrix composites. Mechanical properties of extracted fibers have also been analyzed in terms of tensile strength and modulus using Weibull’s statistical approach. All the aspects have been discussed thoroughly for their contribution in defining the global characteristics of biocomposites. The obtained results substantiate that munja fibers have an enormous potential to be used as a reinforcement in biocomposites, which can be commercially exploited for engineering applications.

摘要

生态意识的提高以及政府机构严格的法律法规限制了合成纤维作为增强材料的使用。这种认识将工程师和研究团体的兴趣转移到使用天然纤维作为聚合物中的增强材料来开发可持续复合材料。目前的实验研究涉及从Saccharum munja中提取的 ' munja'纤维的提取和表征草。已经开发出一种从草中提取纤维的新方法，然后对其物理（结构、密度、结晶度）、形态（表面积、空隙）、化学（表面化学、疏水性）、热（热重、活化能）进行广泛评估)，以及其在聚合物基复合材料中的增强潜力的机械性能。还使用 Weibull 的统计方法在拉伸强度和模量方面分析了提取纤维的机械性能。已经对所有方面进行了彻底的讨论，因为它们在定义生物复合材料的全球特性方面做出了贡献。获得的结果证实了munja纤维具有巨大的潜力，可用作生物复合材料的增强材料，可在商业上用于工程应用。