Dynamic thermo-mechanical characterization of coir fiber reinforced polymeric composites

The fibers extracted from the coconut fruit, also known as coir fibers are being applied as reinforcement in polymeric composites. In the present work, a study on the temperature variation of the dynamic-mechanical parameter of polymeric matrix composites incorporated with continuous coir fibers was carried out. Thermoset polymers were mixed with different amounts of coir fibers and then press-molded cured for 24 hours at room temperature. DMA tests permitted to obtain the storage modulus and the tangent delta for each studied condition. The results revealed that the incorporation of coir fiber decreases the viscoelastic stiffness of the polymeric matrix. Moreover, modifications in the glass transition temperature and in the alpha relaxation peak could be associated with the incorporation of coir the fiber into the matrix. The interaction of the coir fiber with the polymeric matrix, which reduces the molecular mobility, is the proposed mechanism for these experimental results.