Mechanical performance of green composites made with natural fiber of henequen

The use of biodegradable materials in all types of applications has increased, benefiting from reduced environmental impact and increasing sustainable development. This work presents the mechanical comparison between a henequen – epoxidized vegetal oil (EVO) bio-composite and a henequen – synthetic epoxy composite. Tensile (ASTM D3039), flexural (ASTM D7264 ), and low-energy impact (ASTM D7136) tests were carried out to infer the mechanical properties. For the production of laminates a two layers of henequen plain weave were used. On one part, for EVO, the Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion was used. On the other hand, RTM was used for bio-synthetic composites with EPOLAM 2015 resin. For both processes, a 24-hour curing reaction at 25°C is carried out to obtain laminates of 300 mm x 300 mm x 3 mm thickness. Biocomposite and bio-synthetic composite show a flexural modulus of 5.7 GPa and 5.65 GPa, and 88 and 89 MPa of flexural strength, respectively. However, the nature of the resin greatly influenced the tensile and impact properties. Even, when biocomposite and synthetic composite showed a similar elasticity modulus, around 6.3 GPa, the difference can be appreciated for the ultimate tensile strength, showing 72 MPa and 60 MPa, respectively. Positive results were found on the low-energy impact test, where the maximum absorption occurred at 5J, exhibiting 124 kJ/m for the bio-composite and 104 kJ/m2 for the bio-synthetic composite. Scanning Electron Microscopy shows a visible separation of the fiber-matrix interface as well as fiber pull-out and fiber breakage as dominant failure mechanisms. With these results, bio-composites based on henequen fiber can be an alternative material for structural applications.