Tensile Behavior of Epoxy Composites Reinforced With Continuos and Thinner Buriti Fibers

"The environmental concern is creating pressure for the substitution of high energy consumption materials for natural and sustainable ones. Compared to synthetic fibers, natural fibers have shown advantages in technical aspects such as flexibility and toughness. So there is a growing worldwide interest in the use of these fibers. Buriti fiber extracted from buriti palm tree (Mauritia flexuosa), presents some significant characteristic, but until now only few studies on buriti fiber were performed. This work aims to make the analysis of the tensile strength of epoxy composites reinforced with buriti fibers. This analysis was performed in fibers with diameters between 0.1 and 0.4 mm. Those fibers were incorporated into the epoxy matrix with volume fraction from 0 to 30%. The fiber diameters were measured by a profile projector. After fracture the specimens were analyzed by a SEM (scanning electron microscope).IntroductionNatural fibers with high amount of cellulose, also known as lignocellulosic fibers, have been used from primeval times of our civilization. In the last century, synthetic fibers such as nylon, carbon, aramid and glass fibers gained interest owing to superior strength and precise dimensional control. Natural fibers were then replaced by synthetics in many fields such as textiles, sports goods and appliances. In the past decades, however, environmental issues drawn, once again, the attention to lignocellulosic fibers as possible substitute for intensive energy-consuming and long term polluting synthetics, specially the glass fiber(1). In particular, research works have disclosed the potential advantages associated with the use of lignocellulosic fibers as the reinforcing phase in polymer composites(2-3). Among the advantages it is worth mentioning the renewability, recyclability, biodegradability and the fact that natural fibers are neutral with respect to CO2 emissions responsible for global warming. In addition to environmental benefits(l,10) the lignocellulosic fibers present economical advantages, such as worldwide abundance and comparatively low costs as well as some technical properties associated with flexibility and toughness( 4), which contribute to the performance of automobile components fabricated with natural fibers composites(l 1-13)."