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MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SISAL FIBRE-

REINFORCED EPOXY COMPOSITES-EFFECT OF
ALKALI CONCENTRATIONS

Article · January 2015

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Advances in Polymer Science and Technology: An International Journal
Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved

ISSN 2277 – 7164

Original Article
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SISAL FIBRE-REINFORCED EPOXY COMPOSITES-
EFFECT OF ALKALI CONCENTRATIONS
1*
M. M. Owen, 1C.O. Ogunleye and2 E.O. Achukwu.
1
Department of Polymer and Textile Technology, Yaba College of Technology,
PMB 2011 Yaba, Lagos Nigeria.
2
Department of Textile Science and Technology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
*Corresponding email: machardowens2000@yahoo.com; +2348038758561
Received 02 July 2015; accepted 11 August 2015
Abstract
Natural fibre-reinforced biocomposites have become important field of green composites. Thiswork investigated the effect
of alkali (NaOH) treatment concentrations (2%, 5%, 10% and 20%) on the mechanical properties of sisal fibre-reinforced
epoxy composites. The composites were prepared using hand lay-up technique applying a fibre volume fraction of 30 wt %
[Gupta and Srivastava, 2014]for the randomly laid fibres. The results obtained showed that the best treatment
concentrations are 2% and 5% which yielded the highesttensile, flexural and impact property values compared to 10% and
20% with a decreased in values for 20% concentration. Generally, the experimental results have showed that alkali treated
composites exhibited an improved and superior mechanical properties compared to the untreated composites irrespective of
the treatment concentration. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) also showed that surface modifications improved the
adhesion of the sisal fibre/epoxy compositesevidencedby the interactions between the fibres and the matrix.
© 2015 Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved
Key Words: Alkali treatment, Sisal fibre, Textile composite, Thermoset

1. Introduction interesting mechanical and physical properties in addition

Natural fibres are bio-degradable, renewable,
environmentally friendly, abundant, and cheap with
acceptable mechanical properties. On the other hand, these
promising fibres are also disadvantaged due to the presence
of other undesired properties such as high moisture content,
low tensile strength in comparison with carbon fibres and
low thermal stability [Ramzyet al., 2014]. Similarly, the
polar characteristic of these natural fibres act as an obstacle
regarding the compatibility to many non-polar matrix types
which limits the use of the natural fibres in many useful
industrial applications [Li et al., 2007; Rout et al.,
2001].They have been reported as being used as
reinforcement in composite and recognized as an important
area of research for over a decade [Weyenberget al., 2003;
Oksmanet al., 2002].
Natural fibres such as sisal, has a number of technological,
economical and ecological advantages over synthetic fibres
such as glass fibres [Liet al., 2000].It is a hard fibre
extracted from the leaves of the sisal plant (Agave
sisalana). Though, native to tropical and sub-tropical North
and South America, sisal plant is now widely grown in
tropical countries of Africa, the West Indies and the Far
East [Bisanda and Ansell, 1992].The ability to combine
to their environmentally friendly character has stimulated
interest in a number of industrial sectors, especially the
automotive industry. It remains a fact that sisal fibre is one
of the most widely used natural fibres; a large quantity of
this economic and renewable resource is still underutilized.
They are presently used as ropes for the marine and
agriculture industry. Other applications of sisal fibres
include twines, cords, upholstery, padding and mat making,
fishing nets, fancy articles such as purses, wall hangings,
table mats, etc.[Basuet al., 2012]. Present potential
application is for manufacture of corrugated roofing panels
that are strong and cheap with good fire resistance [Bisanda
and Ansell, 1993].Sisal mechanical properties as
comparedwith other natural fibres are stated in Table 1.
Several studies have been reported based on the
influence of various type of chemical modification on the
physical and mechanical properties of sisal fibre filled
thermoplastic and thermoset composites [Bisanda and
Ansell, 1991;ChandDwivedi, 2008;Choudhury, 2008;
1996b; LeThiet al., 1996; Paul et al., 1997; Yang et al.,
1996]. A relatively simple chemical treatment is the alkali
treatment which has been successfully used in fibres
like jute, sisal, flax, etc. [Barretoet al., 2011; Gananet al.,

Advances in Polymer Science and Technology: An International Journal 2015; 5(3) : 26-31
26
Table 1: Physical and mechanical properties of sisal fibres [Dittenberet al., 2012]
Fibre Apparent density(g/cm3) Tensile strength(MPa) E-Modulus(GPa) Strain(%)
Sisal 1.33-1.55 363-700 9-38 2.0-7.0
Jute 1.30-1.49 320-800 8-78 1.0-1.8
Flax 1.40-1.50 343-2000 60-80 1.2-3.3
Hemp 1.40-1.50 290-900 27.6-103 1.0-3.5
Ramie 1.00-1.50 400-1000 24.5-128 1.2-4.0
Coir 1.15-1.46 95-230 2.8-6 15.0-51.4

2005;Mylsamy and Rajendran, 2011;Srisuwan et al.,
2014;Valadez-Gonzalez et al.,1999;Weyenberget al.,
2003].
The need for industries to embrace biodegradable
technologies is on the increase, but there is still much work
to be done if the use of this technology is to accelerate.
Although, a lotof researches have been done on natural
fibre-reinforced polymer composites, but research on sisal
fibre based polymer composites is still limited. It is against
this backdrop that this work is carried out with the
objective of exploring the potential of sisal fibre polymer
composites. To prepare a polymer matrix composite using
sisal fibre as a reinforcement and epoxy as matrix material,
to investigate the effect of alkali (NaOH) treatment with
different concentration of NaOH (0%, 2%, 5%, 10% and
20%) solution on the mechanical properties of sisal fibre-
reinforced epoxy composites.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
The sisal fibre that was utilized as reinforcement was
obtained commercial in Lagos. Epoxy and hardener used as
the matrix polymer was also obtained from Orkila
Chemicals Ltd, Ikeja, Lagos. The sodium hydroxide
(NaOH) was supplied by Aldrich Chemical Company,
Malaysia.
2.1. Alkali treatment of fibre
The sisal fibres were soaked in different concentrations
(2%, 5%, 10% and 20%) of NaOH solution in the water
bath for 24 hours at room temperature (27± 2C). After
treatment, the sisal fibres were washed and rinsed several
times with distilled H2O, neutralized with 2wt% acetic acid
and washed again. Finally, the sisal fibre samples were
hydro extracted and dried to constant weight in an oven.
2.2. Composite Fabrication
A steel mould with dimensions of 200mm x 150mm x 3mm
having shapes of various ASTM standards was constructed.
The sisal fibres were chopped to average length of 4cmand
spread randomly based on the mould size.The epoxy resin
and hardenerwere mixed together in ratio 70:30 according
to manufacturer’s directives. The composite specimens for
both treated and untreated fibres were made by hand-lay-up
technique in the mould using a fibre volume fraction of
20%. The specimens were allowed to cure at a temperature
and humidity of 20 ± 2oC and 65± 2%RH, respectively for
approximately, 24hours under clamped condition.
3. MECHANICAL TESTING:
3.1. Tensile Strength Test
An Instron tensile tester, model 1026, fitted with an
appropriate load cell type 2511.317 with a load capacity of
10-500kg was used to measure the tensile properties of
both the treated and untreated sisal fibre-reinforced epoxy
composite at a temperature and humidity of 20 ± 2 oC and
Advances in Polymer Science and Technology: An International Journal 2015; 5(3) : 26-31
27
65 ± 2% RH respectively. Five specimens were tested and
their average value obtained.
Testing was conducted in accordance with ASTM D638-14
standard methods using specimen dimensions of
200mmx120mmx3mm.
3.2. Flexural Strength Test
The test was performed using the 3-point bending method
according to ASTM D790-99 standard procedure. The
specimens were tested at a cross head speed of 0.5mm/min
using specimen dimensions of 200mmx120mmx3mm. The
applied load was specified at 1 KN while the support span
was 48 mm.
3.3. Charpy Impact Test
Impact test has been used extensively to determine the
impact resistance of any material. The Charpy impact test
was carried out for the untreated and alkali treated samples
with dimensions of 63.5 mm x 12.7 mm x 3.5 mm in
accordance with ASTM D6110-06.The pendulum energy
that was employed for the testing purpose was 2 Joule with
a speed of 2.887m/s.
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
4.1. Effect of alkali treatments on tensile properties of
sisal/epoxy composites.
The experimental results, as seen from Figures 1 and 2,
shows that the 2% NaOH-treated fibre composites
improved the tensile strength and tensile modulus by 46%
and 36%, respectively, compared with the untreated fibre
composites.
Fig 1: Effect of Alkali Treatment on Tensile Strength of
sisal/epoxy composite
With further increase of the NaOH concentration to 5%, the
tensile strength and tensile modulus were also increased by
31% and 26% respectively, with respect to the untreated
fibre composites. The enhancement in mechanical
properties in alkali-treated fibre composites is attributed to
the improved wetting of alkali-treated sisal fibre-reinforced
epoxy composites. The best result was recorded for 2%
treatment for both the tensile strength and modulus of
elasticity. Further increases in concentration led to
decreases in tensile strength and modulus but not lower
than the neat epoxy composite.
strength (Figure 3) and modulus (Figure 4) are similar with
that of tensile strength and tensile modulus (Figure 1 and
Figure 2). The increasing alkali concentration also
increased the flexural strength gradually. The flexural
strength of untreated fibre was 40.48 MPa which increased
to 60.89 MPa(50.4%) and 58.8 MPa (44.5%) when
reinforced with sisal fibres treated with 2% and 5% alkali
solutions respectively.

Fig 2: Effect of alkali treatment on tensile modulus of

sisal/epoxy composite
Jacob et al., [2004] whose work was on the mechanical
properties of sisal/oil palm hybrid fibre-reinforced natural Fig 3: Effect of Alkali Treatment on Flexural Strength of
rubber composites reported similar behaviour. The fibres Sisal/Epoxy Composite
were treated with different concentrations of NaOH (0.5%,
The results also showed that the flexural modulus (Figure
1%, 2%, 4% and 10%) for 1 hour at room temperature. It
4) of untreated fibre is 389.94 MPa, whereas for 2% and
was found that the maximum tensile strength was obtained
5% NaOH treatments the values increased to 536.43 MPa
for the fibres that have been treated with 4% NaOH.
and 406.76 MPa, respectively. This shows that the best
Nevertheless, after the alkali treatment, the diameter and
treatment condition for optimum flexural property is 2%
weight of the fibres were decreased due to the removal of
alkali concentration. Similarly, Cao et al.,[2006] also
lignin. The superior tensile strength value of alkali-treated
reported that for composites composed of the
could be attributed to the fact that the alkali treatment
biodegradable polyester and bagasse fibre, the flexural
improved the adhesive characteristics of fibre surface by
strength and flexural modulus were increased when fibre
removing natural and artificial impurities thereby
was treated with 2% NaOH solution compared to untreated
producing rough surface topography. In addition, alkali
fibres. The treatments with 10% and 20% both decreased
treatment leads to fibre fibrillation, i.e. breaking down of
the flexural strength of the composites (Figure 3).
the fibre bundles into smaller fibres. This has increased the
However, the values obtained are still better than the
effective surface area made available for contact with
unreinforced neat epoxy resin.
matrix polymer [Mohanty et al., 2000]. Results found by
George et al., [1998] with different alkali concentrations
improved adhesion of PALF/PE composites. The PALF
was treated with different concentrations of NaOH (1% and
5%) and when the PALF was treated with 1% NaOH, the
mechanical properties of longitudinally oriented PALF/PE
composites at different fibre loading were improved.
Meanwhile when using 5% NaOH the tensile strength and
tensile modulus were decreased. It was also concluded that
using the higher concentration of alkali (5%) for treatment
caused the fibre to lose its characteristics. On the other
hand, when using lower concentration of NaOH for
treatment, the complete removal of lignin on the fibres is Fig 4: Effect of alkali treatment on flexural modulus of
not possible. Fibres become thinner upon alkali treatment. sisal/epoxy composite
As the result, the surface of the fibre becomes rough, and
will promote mechanical anchoring between fibre and Gupta and Srivastava [2014] also reported that increasing
matrix. the sisal fibre content in composite resulted in increases in
4.2. Effect of alkali treatment on flexural properties of flexural strength and flexural modulus.
sisal/epoxy composites. 4.3. Effect of alkali treatment on impact properties of
The experimental results in Figures 3 and 4 show the sisal reinforced epoxy composites.
flexural properties of untreated and alkali treated sisal fibre The impact properties could determine the ability of a
composites. The inclusion of sisal fibre in epoxy composite material to withstand an impact load, which ability depends
has shown an improvement of up to 173% with respect to on material toughness. The effect of alkali (NaOH)
the unreinforced. The behavioral trend of the flexural treatment on the impact properties of sisal-epoxy composite
Advances in Polymer Science and Technology: An International Journal 2015; 5(3) : 26-31
28
are shown in Figures 5 and 6. The addition of sisal fibres
led to a gradual increase in the amount of energy absorbed
(Figure 5). The untreated sample has a lower absorbed
energy value of 0.33J compared to 2%, 5%, 10% and 20%
alkali-treated samples with 0.46J, 0.56J, 0.55J and 0.38J
respectively (Figure 5). The increased NaOH concentration
from 2% to 5% increased the impact strength values by
14% and 41.1% respectively. Further increased in the
concentration of NaOH resulted to a drop in the amount of
energy absorbed. With respect to the neat epoxy resin, the
energy absorbed was lower for the various reinforcements
expect for the 5% and 10% NaOH treated fibre used for the
reinforcement.
Fig 5: Effect of alkali treatment on impact strength of
sisal/epoxy composite
Figure 6 shows the impact strength of the untreated and
treated sisal fibre-reinforced composites. The impact
strength of the surface treated composites was higher than
those of the untreated fibre composites. 5% NaOH treated
fibres recorded the highest impact strength of 8.5kJ/m2than
other treated fibres. However, there was reduction in
impact strength of both the treated and untreated sisal
fibres-reinforced composites with respect to the neat
polyester composite having a value of 13.24kJm2.Bhanu
and Madhusudhan [2015] who investigated the impact
strength variation in different combination of polymer
composites showed improvement of impact strength on
epoxy sisal composites. Higher strength was also obtained
when sisal and glass fibres were used in the ratio 1:1. The
composite with sisal and glass fibre combination has almost
1.9 times higher impact strength as the composites with the
glass and epoxy composites.
Fig 6: Effect on Alkali Treatment on Impact Modulus of
Sisal /Epoxy Composite
Similar result was obtained by Rout et al.,[2001]for the
treatment of coir fibre-reinforced composites with
increasing concentration of NaOH from 2% to 5% which
resulted in an increased impact strength of sisal fibre from
Advances in Polymer Science and Technology: An International Journal 2015; 5(3) : 26-31
29
14.0J/m to 41.1J/m. Meanwhile, the increased alkali
concentration up to 10% decreased the impact strength of
the composites.The poor interfacial adhesion is responsible
for the lower impact properties recorded compared to the
treated which exhibited higher impact values due to the
improved fibre-matrix interaction.
4.4. Morphological Properties of Untreated and treated
Sisal/Epoxy Composite Sample
It can be clearly seen from the micrograph that the
untreated composites specimens have deposits of pectin,
lignin, and other impurities on their surface (Figure 7a and
7b). In contrast, the fibre surface treatment of the fibres led
to cleaner yet rough surfaces than is seen in the untreated
fibre surfaces (Figure 8a and 8b).This is an evidence of
improved interactions and adhesion between the fibres and
the matrix.The treated composite samples showed good
fibre-matrix adhesion leading to low pull-out and fibre
fracture, which is consistent with the results obtained.Fibre
debonding and matrix cracking are visible features
indicating the mode of failure (Figure 8b).
Fig.7. SEM micrographs of the fracture surface of
untreated sisal/epoxy composites.
Fig.8. SEM micrographs of the fracture surface of alkali
treated sisal/epoxy composites.
CONCLUSIONS
In this project work mechanical properties of sisal fibre-
reinforced epoxy composites and the effect of alkali
treatment on the properties of the composite were
investigated on the basis of the experimental evidence as
shown on the various Figures. The following conclusions
are made:
i. The results of tensile and flexural properties test of
sisal fibre-reinforced epoxy composite showed that
2% and 5% concentration of NaOH treatment best
improved the properties, followed by10%
concentration. Treatment for 20% led to a drop in
tensile properties.
ii. 5% treatment with NaOH had the best
improvement of impact strength for the sisal/epoxy
composites. Though, the obtained values are lower
than the neat epoxy resin.
Generally, the results of the present study have showed that
alkali treated composites exhibited an improved and
superior mechanical properties and performances compared
to the untreated composites. With appropriate processing
condition, alkali treatment of fibre prior to composite
fabrication could successfully develop a beneficial
composite particularly in term of strength, rigidity and
fibre- matrix interfacial adhesion.
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Source of support: Nil; Conflict of interest: None declared

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