Comparative Evaluation of Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Composites Reinforced with Woven Fabrics from Sansevieria (Sansevieria trifasciata) Fibres and Banana (Musa sapientum) Fibres

Abstract

Globally, sustainable materials that are environmentally friendly and the path towards sustainable develop- ment are needed. Natural plant fi bre utilization in various industries has seen a surge, especially in the au- tomotive sector. Natural fi bres such as from Sansevieria and banana pseudostem are readily available and

have considerable mechanical properties that make them good candidates for reinforcement epoxy resins. The dynamic mechanical properties (DMA) of Sansevieria (Sansevieria trifasciata) and banana pseudostem

(Musa sapientum) woven fi bre epoxy composites are discussed. The results show that the optimum temper- ature range of application of the Sansevieria and banana epoxy composites is up to 50 °C. The glass transi- tion temperature, Tg, obtained from the curves of mechanical damping factor (tan δ) was 100 °C and 120 °C

for Sansevieria and banana fi bre epoxy composites, respectively. Keywords: DMA, Sansevieria trifasciata, banana fi bre, Musa sapientum, epoxy composite