Abstract
In this work, laminated polyester thermoset composites based on palm tree fibers extracted from palms leaflets and glass mats fibers were manufactured to develop hybrid compositions with good mechanical properties; the mixture of fibers was elaborated to not exceed 25 vol.%. Samples were prepared with a resin transfer molding (RTM) method and mechanically characterized using tensile and flexural, hardness, and impact tests, and ultrasonic waves as a non-destructive technique. The water sorption of these composite materials was carried out in addition to solar irradiation aging for approximately 300 days to predict the applicability and the long-term performance of the manufactured composites. Results have shown that the use of glass fibers significantly increased all properties; however, an optimum combination of the mixture could be interesting and could be developed with less glass sheet and more natural fibers, which is the goal of this study. On the other hand, exposure to natural sunlight deteriorated the mechanical resistance of the neat resin after only 60 days, while the composites kept high mechanical resistance for 365 days of exposure.
Highlights
Nowadays, natural-fibers-reinforced polymer composites have greatly increased in exterior applications
The implementation process used for manufacturing the composites is injection resin transfer molding (RTM) in which a liquid pre-catalyzed resin is injected under pressure (2.5 bars, at room temperature) through a fibrous reinforcement positioned in a closed homemade mold, and Figure 1 shows the four steps of RTM process
It is clear from the table that date palm fiber contains the main functional groups of lignocellulosic fibers: lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose
Summary
Natural-fibers-reinforced polymer composites have greatly increased in exterior applications. Some of the advantages of natural fibers are their exceptional properties compared to synthetic ones, such as low cost, recyclability, renewability, and good mechanical properties [7] Despite their use as short reinforcement in the polymer matrix, long fiber sheets in composites present several advantages when they provide inherent reinforcement in multiple directions [8,9,10], especially when they are used with organic polymer matrices. Such studies encourage the use of natural fibers in hybrid composites with synthetic fibers, and this combination has a good effect on the development of mechanical proprieties [11,12]. The choice of reinforcements and the matrix binder, and the process of composites manufacturing depends on the known fibers’ morphology, comportment under stress, and environment [13]
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