MUET logo

Alkali Treatment Effects on the Tensile Characteristics of Vacuum-Infused Banana and Flax Woven Fiber Composites

Authors

  • Safa Sattar

    Department of Mechanical Engineering, DHA Suffa University, Karachi, Pakistan
    Author

  • Johar Khurshid Farooqi

    Department of Mechanical Engineering, DHA Suffa University, Karachi, Pakistan
    Author

  • Bilal Zahid

    Department of Textile Engineering, NEDUET, Karachi, Pakistan
    Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22581/muet1982.0353

Keywords:

Natural Fibers, Polymer-Matrix Composite, Chemical Treatment, Tensile Properties, Woven Fabric, Vacuum infusion

Abstract

This experimental research work investigates the alkali treatment of natural fiber-reinforced composites (NFRCs) prepared from banana and flax woven fibers for mechanical behavior. The fundamental purpose of this study is to explore the Banana and Flax woven fibers as reinforcement in polymer composites, regarding different concentrations of alkali solution (4%, 6%, and 8%) and their influence on the tensile properties of the two natural fibers. The density of each developed composite is also evaluated. The composites were made using a vacuum infusion process, providing good impregnation and uniform resin distribution. A tensile test was conducted using ASTM D3039 for tensile strength, modulus, and tensile strain behavior. For untreated samples of banana fiber composites, ductility was comparatively high at 34% strain, with a moderate tensile strength of 26.12 MPa. Application of a 6% alkali treatment elevated tensile strength to 42.83 MPa and tensile modulus to 772.82 MPa, albeit at a reduced ductility of 5.4%. These results suggest enhanced interfacial bonding but greater brittleness. Flax fiber composites had a different response, where untreated flax fiber-reinforced composites exhibited a tensile strength of 49.55 MPa, a tensile modulus of 391.33 MPa, and a ductility of 8.48%. In contrast, alkali treatment markedly enhanced ductility, peaking at 16.02% for the 4% treated composites. Each composite, regardless of being untreated or alkali-treated, exhibited distinct mechanical behavior when processed under varying concentrations, illustrating the optimization depth needed for each fiber type to achieve the desired strength, stiffness, and ductility. The study does illustrate the potential of tailored alkali treatments in the form of enhanced performance on composite materials made with banana and flax woven fibers, reinforcing the materials’ prospects for sustainable lightweight structural solutions.

Downloads

References

[1] K. Dhakar, K. Chaudhary, A. Dvivedi, and O. Bembalge, “An environment-friendly and sustainable machining method: near-dry EDM,” https://doi.org/10.1080/10426914.2019.1643471, vol. 34, no. 12, pp. 1307–1315, Sep. 2019, doi: 10.1080/10426914.2019.1643471.

[2] R. V. Patel, A. Yadav, and J. Winczek, “Physical, Mechanical, and Thermal Properties of Natural Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Composites for Construction and Automotive Applications,” Appl. Sci., vol. 13, no. 8, 2023, doi: 10.3390/app13085126.

[3] D. Kusić, U. Božič, M. Monzón, R. Paz, and P. Bordón, “Thermal and mechanical characterization of banana fiber reinforced composites for its application in injection molding,” Materials (Basel)., vol. 13, no. 16, 2020, doi: 10.3390/MA13163581.

[4] Zamora-Mendoza, Lizbeth Gushque Fernando, Sabrina Yanez, Jara Nicole, Álvarez-Barreto José F, Zamora-Ledezma Camilo, Dahoumane Si Amar, Alexis Frank “Plant Fibers as Composite Reinforcements for Biomedical Applications,” Bioengineering, vol. 10, no. 7, pp. 1–23, 2023, doi: 10.3390/bioengineering10070804.

[5] A. P. Irawan and I. W. Sukania, “Tensile Strength of Banana Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites Materials,” Appl. Mech. Mater., vol. 776, pp. 260–263, 2015, doi: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.776.260.

[6] Sivaranjana P and Arumugaprabu V, “A brief review on mechanical and thermal properties of banana fiber based hybrid composites,” SN Appl. Sci., vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 1–8, 2021, doi: 10.1007/s42452-021-04216-0.

[7] A. Shadrach Jeya Sekaran, K. Palanikumar, P. Kasivisvanathan, and L. Karunamoorthy, “Mechanical Characteristics of Woven Banana and Glass Fiber Epoxy Composites,” Appl. Mech. Mater., vol. 766–767, pp. 110–115, 2015, doi: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.766-767.110.

[8] A. Zelalem Biresaw and B. Sirahbizu Yigezu, “Investigation on the Mechanical Properties of Flax/False Banana Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite,” Adv. Mater. Sci. Eng., vol. 2022, 2022, doi: 10.1155/2022/5696758.

[9] T. A. Nguyen and T. H. Nguyen, “Banana Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Composites: Mechanical Properties and Fire Retardancy,” Int. J. Chem. Eng., vol. 2021, 2021, doi: 10.1155/2021/1973644.

[10] S. Kumar, A. P. Agrawal, S. Ali, and A. Manral, “Exploring the influence of fiber orientation on the mechanical characteristics of polymer composites reinforced with banana and corn fibers,” Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. Part L J. Mater. Des. Appl., vol. 239, no. 2, 2024, doi: 10.1177/14644207241260662.

[11] A. Alavudeen, N. Rajini, S. Karthikeyan, M. Thiruchitrambalam, and N. Venkateshwaren, “Mechanical properties of banana/kenaf fiber-reinforced hybrid polyester composites: Effect of woven fabric and random orientation,” Mater. Des., vol. 66, no. PA, pp. 246–257, 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.matdes.2014.10.067.

[12] M. S. Ramli, A. Kalam, F. M. Yusof, and I. Yuni, “Evaluation of the performance of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites,” Int. J. Eng. Technol., vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 54–59, 2018, doi: 10.14419/ijet.v7i4.26.22137.

[13] S. B. Hosseini, S. Hedjazi, L. Jamalirad, and A. Sukhtesaraie, “Effect of nano-SiO2 on physical and mechanical properties of fiber reinforced composites (FRCs),” J. Indian Acad. Wood Sci., vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 116–121, 2014, doi: 10.1007/s13196-014-0126-y.

[14] H. S. Naveena, S. Sunil, S. Kakkeri, and R. Suresh, “Development and mechanical testing of natural fibre reinforced polypropylene resin hybrid composite,” Adv. Mater. Process. Technol., vol. 00, no. 00, pp. 1–12, 2021, doi: 10.1080/2374068X.2021.1948704.

[15] A. Célino, S. Fréour, F. Jacquemin, and P. Casari, “The hygroscopic behavior of plant fibers: A review,” Front. Chem., vol. 1, no. JAN, 2014, doi: 10.3389/FCHEM.2013.00043.

[16] N. Venkateshwaran, A. Elayaperumal, and M. S. Jagatheeshwaran, “Effect of fiber length and fiber content on mechanical properties of banana fiber/epoxy composite,” J. Reinf. Plast. Compos., vol. 30, no. 19, pp. 1621–1627, 2011, doi: 10.1177/0731684411426810.

[17] K. Jubair, M. S. Islam, and D. Chakraborty, “Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Banana-Glass Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Composites,” J. Eng. Adv., vol. 02, no. 04, pp. 175–179, 2021, doi: 10.38032/jea.2021.04.002.

[18] S. Vivek, K. Kanthavel, A. Torris, and V. Kavimani, “Effect of Bio-filler on Hybrid Sisal-Banana-Kenaf-Flax Based Epoxy Composites: A Statistical Correlation on Flexural Strength,” J. Bionic Eng., vol. 17, no. 6, pp. 1263–1271, 2020, doi: 10.1007/s42235-020-0083-7.

[19] W. Fr, G. Janowski, P. Fernandes, S. Aldin Faroughi, L. L. Ferrás, and A. M. Afonso, “Influence of the Alkali Treatment of Flax and Hemp Fibers on the Properties of PHBV Based Biocomposites,” Polym. 2021, Vol. 13, Page 1965, vol. 13, no. 12, p. 1965, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.3390/POLYM13121965.

[20] A. Gunge, P. G. Koppad, M. Nagamadhu, S. B. Kivade, and K. V. S. Murthy, “Study on mechanical properties of alkali treated plain woven banana fabric reinforced biodegradable composites,” Compos. Commun., vol. 13, no. December 2019, pp. 47–51, 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.coco.2019.02.006.

[21] M. Mostafa and N. Uddin, “Effect of banana fibers on the compressive and flexural strength of compressed earth blocks,” Buildings, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 282–296, 2015, doi: 10.3390/buildings5010282.

[22] P. Lai, X. Zhi, S. Shen, Z. Wang, and P. Yu, “Strength and damping properties of cementitious composites incorporating original and alkali treated flax fibers,” Appl. Sci., vol. 9, no. 10, 2019, doi: 10.3390/app9102002.

[23] F. A. Dunisho, T. Badasa, and B. K, “Improving Impact Strength and Water Absorption Properties of Enset Fiber Reinforced Polyester Composite,” Int. J. Adv. Sci. Res. Eng., vol. 06, no. 06, pp. 138–143, 2020, doi: 10.31695/ijasre.2020.33838.

[24] Cai Ming, Takagi Hitoshi, Nakagaito Antonio N., Katoh Masahiro, Ueki Tomoyuki, Waterhouse Geoffrey I.N., Yan Li “Influence of alkali treatment on internal microstructure and tensile properties of abaca fibers,” Ind. Crops Prod., vol. 65, pp. 27–35, 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2014.11.048.

[25] J. I. P. Singh, S. Singh, V. Dhawan, and P. Gulati, “Flax fiber reinforced polylactic acid composites for non-structural engineering applications: Effect of molding temperature and fiber volume fraction on its mechanical properties,” Polym. Polym. Compos., vol. 29, no. 9, pp. S780–S789, 2021, doi: 10.1177/09673911211025159.

[26] Mejía Julio César, B. R. Rodríguez, and F. J. J. Olaya, “The influence of alkali treatment on banana fibre’s mechanical properties,” Ing. e Investig., vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 83–87, 2012, doi: 10.15446/ing.investig.v32n1.28524.

[27] V. Lakshmi Narayana and L. Bhaskara Rao, “A brief review on the effect of alkali treatment on mechanical properties of various natural fiber reinforced polymer composites,” Mater. Today Proc., vol. 44, pp. 1988–1994, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.matpr.2020.12.117.

[28] W. Frącz, G. Janowski, and Ł. Bąk, “Influence of the Alkali Treatment of Flax and Hemp Fibers on the Properties of PHBV Based Biocomposites,” Polymers (Basel)., vol. 13, no. 12, p. 1965, 2021, doi: 10.3390/polym13121965.

[29] J. Ueyama and R. Ogawa, “CLS system : Rapid curing systems with cyanate ester resins,” no. November, pp. 1–8, 2023.

[30] Alexis Wolfel, Jin Minye, Nuno Araújo-Gomes, Becker Malin, Leijten Jeroen, Liliana Moreira Teixeira, I Paez Julieta, “Tailorable biofunctionalization of poly(acrylamide) hydrogels via firefly luciferin-bioinspired click ligation accelerates cell attachment, spreading and proliferation,” pp. 1–28.

[31] J. Ma, Y. Ma, F. Yu, and X. Dai, “Rotating Magnetic Field-Assisted Adsorption Mechanism of Pollutants on Mechanically Strong Sodium Alginate/Graphene/ l -Cysteine Beads in Batch and Fixed-Bed Column Systems,” Environ. Sci. Technol., vol. 52, no. 23, pp. 13925–13934, 2018, doi: 10.1021/acs.est.8b05409.

[32] C. M. Meenakshi and A. Krishnamoorthy, “Study on the effect of surface modification on the mechanical and thermal behaviour of flax, sisal and glass fiber-reinforced epoxy hybrid composites,” J. Renew. Mater., vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 153–169, 2019, doi: 10.32604/jrm.2019.00046.

[33] S. E. Moussavi-Torshizi, S. Dariushi, M. Sadighi, and P. Safarpour, “A study on tensile properties of a novel fiber/metal laminates,” Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol. 527, no. 18–19, pp. 4920–4925, 2010, doi: 10.1016/j.msea.2010.04.028.

[34] A. Atmakuri, A. Palevicius, G. Janusas, and J. Eimontas, “Investigation of Hemp and Flax Fiber-Reinforced EcoPoxy Matrix Biocomposites: Morphological, Mechanical, and Hydrophilic Properties,” Polymers (Basel)., vol. 14, no. 21, 2022, doi: 10.3390/polym14214530.

[35] A. Jordá-Vilaplana, A. Carbonell-Verdú, M. D. Samper, A. Pop, and D. Garcia-Sanoguera, “Development and characterization of a new natural fiber reinforced thermoplastic (NFRP) with Cortaderia selloana (Pampa grass) short fibers,” Compos. Sci. Technol., vol. 145, pp. 1–9, Jun. 2017, doi: 10.1016/J.COMPSCITECH.2017.03.036.

[36] H. Ku, H. Wang, N. Pattarachaiyakoop, and M. Trada, “A review on the tensile properties of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites,” Compos. Part B Eng., vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 856–873, 2011, doi: 10.1016/J.COMPOSITESB.2011.01.010.

[37] P. Ramadevi, D. Sampathkumar, C. V. Srinivasa, and B. Bennehalli, “Effect of alkali treatment on water absorption of single cellulosic abaca fiber,” BioResources, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 3515–3524, 2012, doi: 10.15376/biores.7.3.3515-3524.

[38] G. O. Mehmet Kodal, Zeynep Demir Topuk, “Dual effect of chemical modification and polymer precoating of flax fibers on the properties of short flax fiber/poly(lactic acid) composites,” J. Appl. Polym. Sci., vol. 132, no. 48, 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/app.42564.

[39] M. Hao and H. Wu, “Effect of in situ reactive interfacial compatibilization on structure and properties of polylactide/sisal fiber biocomposites,” Polym. Compos., vol. 39, pp. E174–E187, 2018, doi: 10.1002/pc.24484.

Published

2025-10-28

Issue

Vol. 44 No. 4 (2025): October Issue

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Mehran University Research Journal of Engineering and Technology

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Alkali Treatment Effects on the Tensile Characteristics of Vacuum-Infused Banana and Flax Woven Fiber Composites. (2025). Mehran University Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, 44(4), 85-100. https://doi.org/10.22581/muet1982.0353

Similar Articles

11-20 of 35

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.