Mechanical and wear behaviors of untreated and alkali treated Roselle fiber-reinforced vinyl ester composite

Abstract

In the present communication, the effect of mercerization or alkali (NaOH) treatment on mechanical and wear behavior of chopped roselle fiber-reinforced vinyl ester (CRFRV) composite have been studied as the function of fiber content. The results show that the tensile, flexural and impact strength values of untreated and treated fiber composites increased with increasing fiber content up to 40 wt.% and then dropped. But, the tensile and flexural modulus values were increased continuously from 10 to 50 wt.%. After the careful study, it was observed that the optimum fiber content for better or optimum mechanical properties is 40 wt.% at both the untreated and treated fiber composites. Fractographic study of the fractured surface of treated and untreated fiber composites was carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The wear resistance of the composites fabricated with treated roselle fibers were found to be good compared to composite fabricated with untreated fibers.