Investigation on interfacial adhesion of date palm/epoxy using fragmentation technique

From the literature, it is found that the interfacial adhesion of the natural fibres with the matrices is the key in determining the composite performance under all types of loadings. However, there are issues with regard of the interfacial adhesion experimental techniques and chemical treatment concentration for natural fibres. In this study, the influences of NaOH concentration (0% -9 wt.% NaOH) and fibre diameter (0.3-0.7 mm) on the interfacial adhesion behaviour of the date palm fibre with epoxy matrix were studied using fragmentation technique. Tensile properties and microstructure of single date palm fibre were investigated as well. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the fibre microstructure of the fibre and fibre/polymer interaction after each experiment. The results revealed that 6% NaOH and 0.3 mm. Fibre diameter is the optimum fibre diameter and NaOH concentration to gain high composite performance. High interfacial adhesion of the fibre with the matrix achieved at higher concentration of NaOH, however, there is high deterioration in the strength of the fibre. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.