CHARPY TOUGHNESS BEHAVIOR OF CONTINUOUS BANANA FIBER REINFORCED EPOXY MATRIX COMPOSITES

摘要

The banana fiber is one of the most scientifically investigated natural fiber due to its easy obtention and abundance. Studies on some varieties, such as the Musaceae family, are rare, so this work will investigate the toughness behavior of epoxy matrix composites reinforced with up to 30% in volume of long, continuous and aligned Musaceae family banana fibers by means of Charpy impact tests. It was found that the addition of banana fibers results in a marked increase in the absorbed energy by the composites. Macroscopic observation of the post-impact specimens and SEM fracture analysis showed that longitudinal rupture through the banana fibers interface with the epoxy matrix is the main mechanism for the remarkable toughness of these composites.