Effects of length and content of natural cellulose fiber on the mechanical behaviors of phenol formaldehyde composites

Abstract

In this paper the effects of fiber lengths and contents on the mechanical properties of Phenol Formaldehyde (PF) composite reinforced with the Areca Fine Fiber (AFF) and Sisal Fiber (SF) were evaluated. Composites were prepared by hand lay-up technique for varying fiber length (5, 10, and 15 mm) and content (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt%). Mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact, of composite specimen were measured with the content and length of the fibers. The results revealed that the mechanical property values of both the composites increases with the increase in fiber content and length. The highest values of mechanical properties were obtained in the combination of 40 wt% and 10 mm and on the further addition, the mechanical property values were decreased. Therefore, it is observed that the optimum fiber length and content are 49 wt% and 10 mm to obtain best combination of mechanical behaviors with both the composites.