Effect of the morphology measuring methods of coconut fiber on the determination of mechanical tensile properties

Abstract

This study is intended to improve the methodology to calculate the tensile properties of natural coconut fiber and increasing confidence in the use of sustainable natural fibers as reinforcing in composites used for different components in the naval industry. Coconut fiber is an agribusiness by-product that has been shown to have the potential for the development of new materials. The morphology of different species of coconut fiber was studied, and their mechanical tensile properties were determined. The coconut fibers were tested under direct tension in a universal testing machine, and the cross-sectional area of the fibers was calculated using images obtained in an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope. The study assessed the incidence of key factors to determine coconut fiber mechanical tensile properties including different area measuring methods and the percentage of lumens present through an image analysis software called ImageJ. The results indicate that coconut fiber has a round-shaped cross-section, and the percentage of lumens is between 15% and 27%. Therefore, the effective area is reduced increasing the fiber’s ultimate resistance to tension.

这项研究旨在改进计算天然椰子纤维拉伸性能的方法, 并增加使用可持续天然纤维作为增强材料用于海军工业不同组件的信心. 椰子纤维是农业综合企业的副产品, 已被证明具有开发新材料的潜力. 研究了不同种类椰子纤维的形态, 测定了椰子纤维的机械拉伸性能. 椰子纤维在万能试验机上进行直接拉伸试验, 并使用光学显微镜和扫描电子显微镜获得的图像计算纤维的横截面积. 该研究评估了确定椰子纤维机械拉伸性能的关键因素的发生率, 包括不同的面积测量方法, 以及通过名为 的图像分析软件显示的管腔百分比. 结果表明, 椰子纤维的横截面呈圆形, 管腔百分比在15%到27%之间. 因此, 有效面积减小, 增加了纤维的极限抗张力.