Morphological, Mechanical and Thermal Characterization of Intralayer Hybrid Composites Based on Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Sisal Fiber

• Published in: Journal of natural fibers 2022-10, Vol.19 (14), p.7852-7863
• Main Authors: Agaliotis, Eliana M., Morales-Arias, Juan P., Bernal, Celina R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Compression; Configurations; Fabrics; Fibers; Filaments; Flame retardants; Hybrid composites; intralayer hybrid composites; Lignocellulose; mechanical behavior; Mechanical properties; Morphology; Polylactic acid; Pressure molding; Sisal; sisal fiber; stacking sequence; Stacking sequence (composite materials); Stiffness; Thermal stability; Thermodynamic properties; Warp; Weft; Woven fabrics; 剑麻纤维; 力学性能; 堆叠顺序; 层内混杂复合材料; 混杂复合材料; 聚乳酸
• ISSN: 1544-0478; 1544-046X
• DOI: 10.1080/15440478.2021.1958417

Novel intralayer hybrid composites (IHC) based on a commercial polylactic acid (PLA) matrix reinforced with a hybrid plain-woven fabric, composed of PLA filaments and sisal fibers, were obtained by film stacking followed by compression molding. Two different stacking configurations were explored. In one configuration, weft and warp directions of all fabric layers were equally oriented whereas in the other configuration, weft and warp directions of fabric layers were alternately oriented. The effect of the stacking sequence on the materials morphology and thermal and tensile behavior was investigated. All obtained composites presented higher thermal stability than the matrix due to the presence of the natural fibers and PLA filaments and also, the existence of lignocellulosic compounds in the woven fabric led to a char yield residue, with the expected improvement of flame retardant properties. Although both IHCs exhibited highly anisotropic tensile behavior, the composite having an alternated fabric layers configuration, presented a good balance of stiffness and strength for the two main orthogonal loading directions.