Desenvolvimento de compósitos de resina epóxi com fibra vegetal de curauá sem tratamento químico

Abstract

Today in the world there is a race in the search for materials from renewable sources. The use of vegetable fibers reinforcing polymers, for example, represents an alternative to replacing glass or carbon fibers in composites. Curauá is a legitimately Brazilian plant, easy to grow and process, which produces fibers with excellent mechanical performance. In this work an evaluation of epoxy resin matrix composites and vegetable fibers is made, whose fiber is extracted from the leaves of a plant in the Amazon region called curauá (Ananas erectifolius). The aim of this work is to study the mechanical behavior in tensile strength of epoxy matrix composites reinforced with continuous and aligned fibers. The curauá fibers were separated and a simple process was defined for cleaning (washing and drying), separating into groups and cutting the fibers in natura. Epoxy resin matrix composites and curauá plant fibers were molded into different groups with different percentages of fibers in relation to the composite. After that, the resin and fiber plates were cut with a laser, according to the dimensions defined by the D638 standard, producing the specimens that would be used in the mechanical tensile tests, with thin parallel longitudinal and transversal grooves being machined to place the fibers with precision, and finally some bodies were evaluated in the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) after rupture. As a result of this work, it is possible to conclude that the use of fibers, even without chemical treatment, is satisfactory. After all, with only 30% of fibers it is possible to practically double the strength of the material, which went from approximately 34 MPa (pure resin) to practically 65 MPa. The applications of these composites will not be unlimited, however, composites with the Amazonian fiber curauá can replace, in several cases, the composites of synthetic fibers, providing a lower impact on the environment, helping sustainability and even generating new sources of employment for the poorest populations in the Amazon.