Investigation of mechanical properties of a novel green composite developed by using enset woven fabric and bioresin materials

Abstract

The developments of environmental concerns and regulations have pushed most of the composite industries to revisit natural resources. They have focused on natural fibers as a reinforcing material having low cost, low density and good mechanical strengths. Enset woven fabric is manufactured from enset fibers, which are abundantly available, light weight (1.2 g/cm(3)), moderate moisture content (10%) and biodegradable un-utilized new fiber under Ensete Ventricosum family. This research work focused on investigating mechanical properties of a new green composite fabricated by enset woven fabric reinforcement and specially prepared bioresin from plant gums. The tensile strength of the enset fabric was improved four times from 528 to 2074 N in single-layer composite structure, while double-layer composite tensile strength was obtained as 3480 N. The test results indicated that the laboratory-made bioresin matrix from acacia and frankincense gums had a significant effect on the mechanical strength of composite structures compared with enset fabrics having the same number of threads (warps) in the specimens. Increasing the grammage of bioresin restored energy and improved the performance of tensile and flexural strength by reducing the deformation of composite structures. Generally, this study revealed that enset woven fabric as reinforcing structure and mixed acacia-frankincense bioresin as a matrix materials had a promising result to be used as composite materials in light weight structural applications with the same potential to improve its performance.