Light Weight Materials

4Preparation and Characterization of a Composite Material Using Sisal fibers for Light Body Vehicles

The present research work investigates the usage of local sisal plant leaves gathered from the Ethiopian highlands. The objectives of this chapter are to describe the processing techniques of specimen preparation and to examine the characteristics of sisal fibers as a composite material for light body vehicles on an experimental basis.

The fibers were pulled out through manual extraction with a knife. After extraction, the fibers were immersed in a solution containing 8 grams of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in powder form and 10 liters of distilled water. The fibers were soaked for 24 hours to remove impurities and increase the surface roughness due to the disturbance of hydrogen bonding. The specimen was made using general-purpose resin (Gp) as a matrix and the hardener, and sisal fibers as a reinforcement material, which achieved the appropriate fiber orientation (0°, ± 45°, 0°, and 90°) by using an experimental (hand lay-up fabrication) technique and CATIA. The specimen was prepared according to the ECAE and ASTM standards.

4.1. Introduction

In order to protect natural resources and economize energy, weight reduction is the main focus of vehicle manufacturers at present. Weight reduction can be primarily accomplished by using better materials, design optimization and improving manufacturing processes. Even though there are several factors that influence the entire product development ...