Tensile Properties and Thermal Degradation Parameters of Tamarind Fruit Fibers

Tamarind has the scientific name Tamarindus Indica and belongs to the Fabaceae family. The fibers from tamarind fruit were treated with 5% aqueous NaoH solution. The primary thermograms of both untreated and the alkali treated fibers were recorded in an inert atmosphere at a heating rate of 10°C/min. Using these thermograms, the initial and final degradation temperatures and inflections points were calculated. Employing the Doyle method, the integral procedural degradation temperature and refractoriness were also determined. The thermal stability was found to increase on alkali treatment. The morphology of the fiber before and after alkali treated was studied. The tensile parameters — maximum stress, Young's modulus and %elongation at break were also determind for both untreated and the alkali treated tamarind fibers.