Effects of Sisal/Cotton Interwoven Fabric and Jute Fibers Loading on Polylactide Reinforced Biocomposites

The hybridization effect of sisal/cotton interwoven fabric backed by paper roving with jute woven material is investigated in the presence of polylactide (PLA) matrix. The biocomposites (five) were produced through varying different (100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75, and 0/100) proportions of sisal/cotton with jute woven fabrics respectively in the laminates. After the successful reinforcements, mechanical properties were investigated in terms of tensile and flexural tests. Moreover, the water absorption, thickness swelling, and moisture content tests were also examined for assessing the physical and dimensional stability of developed hybrid composites. The water absorption and thickness swelling tests were carried out in the presence of water after 2 h and 24 h immersion. The highest mechanical properties were found in case of 100 % sisal/cotton reinforced composites whereas the lowest value was observed in case of 100 % jute fiber. The morphological views of the developed materials were also characterized using SEM (Scanning electron microscopy) to observe the surfaces before and after the tensile load. The SEM deployed EDX (energy-dispersive X-ray) linear scanning was applied to explore the presence of different chemicals in the biocomposite systems. The reinforcement effects of different fibers loading in composite systems were also tested in terms of regression analysis and found that sisal/cotton interwoven fabrics exist significant influence in the composite systems to increase the mechanical properties.

Automated summary

This study investigates the hybridization effect of sisal/cotton interwoven fabric backed by jute woven material in the presence of a polylactide (PLA) matrix. It examines the mechanical properties, water absorption, thickness swelling, and moisture content of the developed hybrid composites. The study finds that the sisal/cotton reinforced composites exhibit the highest mechanical properties, while the presence of sisal/cotton interwoven fabrics significantly improves the mechanical properties of the composite systems.