Thermo mechanical characteristics of Sisal fibre reinforced composites after treatment with potassium permanganate and stearic acid

This paper presents an experimental study of epoxy and sisal fibre composites with and without potassium permanganate and stearic acid treatment. A compression moulding technique was used to develop the composites. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), tensile and flexural tests, and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the thermal and mechanical behaviour of these composites. SEM images of sisal fibres revealed improvements in the fibre's surface topography further to the surface stearic acid treatment process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveals that sisal fibre is crystalline in nature. When sisal fibre was treated with streaic acid, the tensile strength increased to 43.45 MPa. Potassium permanganate-treated fibre reinforced composites demonstrated high potential flexural strength. SEM analysis revealed that stearic acid-treated fibre improved interfacial adhesion between the fibres and matrix.