Investigation of Static and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Short Palmyra Palm Leaf Stalk Fiber (PPLSF) Reinforced Polymer Composites

Abstract

ABSTRACT The research work is focused toward determining the static and dynamic mechanical properties of the composites made by reinforcing untreated and alkali-treated short palmyra palm leaf stalk fibers (PPLSF) of length 3 mm, , and 10 mm in the polymer matrix. The short palmyra palm leaf stalk fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites are prepared by a compression molding method. The result illustrates that the 7 mm alkali-treated short PPLSF composite exhibited the maximum tensile strength of 45.13 ± 1.57 MPa, the flexural strength of 71.35 ± 2.57 MPa and impact strength 10.21 ± 2.13 kJ/m2. The dynamic mechanical analysis shows that the 7 mm alkali-treated short PPLSF composite has improved the storage and loss modulus compared to 3 mm and 10 mm short untreated and alkali-treated fiber composites. Further thermo-gravimetric analysis carried out for 3 mm, 7 mm, and 10 mm untreated and alkali-treated fiber-reinforced composites showed that the thermal characteristics of the composites have improved due to treatments as well due to increase in fiber length. The tensile-fractured surface of the composites is also examined with SEM to identify the mechanism of failure.