Estudo do comportamento em tração de compósitos de matriz poliéster reforçados com fibras de envira (Bocageopsis multiflora)

Abstract

The demand for new materials that encompass high mechanical properties, allied to sustainability, has been growing exponentially. In this sense, composite materials stand out, including those with a polymer matrix using plant fibers, such as Envira (Bocageopsis multiflora), an abundant species in the Amazon region. Thus, this work aims to characterize the Envira fiber by optical microscopy for which it presented a smooth surface, determine the specific mass, analyze the thermogravimetry and produce composites reinforced with Envira fibers. For the process of making the composites, they were produced individually in a silicone mold with the incorporation of 10, 20 and 30% by volume of fiber. The average fiber density value was 0.23 g/cm3 and the largest number of fibers are in the range of 0.60 mm to 0.79 mm. TG revealed that the Envira fiber showed stability at temperatures up to 320 °C. The mechanical properties of the composites were evaluated by tensile testing, performed according to ASTM D 638. The results obtained show that the incorporation of fibers in polyester matrix, increased the tensile strength in relation to the pure resin. Where the best result was for incorporation of 30% by volume of fiber, the value obtained for this property was 51.41 MPa. Demonstrating that the addition of Envira fibers proved to be promising for its use in thermosetting matrix polymeric composites.