Preparation and characterization of sisal fibre reinforced sodium alginate gum composites for non-structural engineering applications

Abstract In this work, untreated/treated sisal fibre (SF)-reinforced sodium alginate composites for three different concentrations (1.5%, 2%, and 2.5%) are fabricated by the hand lay-up method, and the variations in mechanical properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact strength are studied. The treated and untreated composites are analysed and compared using scanning electron microscope to study the surface morphology. Energy-dispersive spectroscopic analysis is carried out to evaluate the elemental compositions. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis is conducted to determine the interaction between fibres and matrix material. The thermal observations such as differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis showed only slight variations between the untreated and treated SF composites. The results of this work indicate that untreated sample with the maximum sodium alginate gum concentration had significantly enhanced mechanical properties and low moisture absorption rate. Biodegradation test inferred that it was superior for the treated fibre rather than the untreated fibre composites. The primary objective of this work is to assess the suitability of these composites for non-structural engineering applications.