Caracterización de materiales compuestos elaborados a partir de residuos lignocelulósicos y resina vinil-acrílica : Caracterización mecánica a tracción de composites elaborados a partir de residuos lignocelulósicos y resina vinil-acrílica.

Abstract

In view of the depletion of petrochemical resources and the concern for the management of agricultural residues, the revaluation of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) as a raw material has been an interesting approach for manufacturing of sustainable composite materials. This study evaluated the influence of processing temperature on tensile parameters: tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and elongation at break in composite materials made from vinyl-acrylic resin and OPEFB fiber. For this purpose, the OPEFB wastes were dried under ambient conditions, then reduced their particle size in a blade mill and dried for 1 h and 103° C. Subsequently, the fiber was embedded in the resin according to the proportion 35 % wt. and 65 % wt., respectively. Then, it was processed by compression molding at three processing temperatures (75, 100 and 125° C). Tensile mechanical characterization was carried out on a universal testing machine with a speed of 20 mm/min and type IV specimens. The findings obtained in the tensile tests determined that temperature didn’t significantly influence the mechanical parameters, but it did have an impact on the increase in the dispersion of both tensile strength and modulus of elasticity and elongation at break. In addition, other factors such as the hydrophilic nature of the OPEFB, the length, diameter and orientation of the fiber, as well as the presence of impurities, caused significant changes in these parameters.