Effect of Sisal Fiber-Snail Shell Hybrid Reinforcement on some Mechanical Properties and Moisture Uptake of Unsaturated Polyester Resin Based Composites

Abstract

This study investigates the hybrid effect of chemically modified sisal fiber and snail shell particles on the performance of polyester composites. The sisal fiber used was extracted by soil retting method and some portions were treated with potassium hydroxide (KOH) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions, respectively. The snail shell was calcined before grinding and sieving into particle size of ˂75 μm. The composites were developed using randomly dispersed open mould technique by varying the reinforcements between 2-10 wt. %. The particulate snail shell was analyzed with XRF where it was discovered that Mn and Ni were the major constituents while the developed composites were also subjected to different tests in accordance with the existing ASTM standards. The results revealed that the incorporation of sisal fiber and snail shell particles in the polyester matrix resulted in better tensile and flexural properties. The performance of the materials in moisture environment showed that chemically modified sisal fiber samples reduce the tendency for moisture absorption. The influence of the modification was best for samples from KOH treated fiber compared to NaOH treated fiber. Hence, it was discovered that snail shell/modified sisal fiber aid the enhancement of the performance of the developed composites.