Borassus and Tamarind Fruit Fibers as Reinforcement in Cashew Nut Shell Liquid-Epoxy Composites

In this study borassus and tamarind fruit fibers were extracted and their physical and mechanical properties such as diameter, density, tensile strength and interfacial adhesion strength (IAS) were experimentally determined. To study the effect of alkali treatment, both the fruit fibers were treated with 5% vol. sodium hydroxide solution for 0.5 h, 1 h, 2 h, and 4 h durations. Morphological studies of untreated and alkali treated fibers by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed the presence of the surface impurities on the untreated fiber whereas the same were absent on the treated fibers. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis also confirmed the elimination of amorphous hemicellulose of the fibers on treatment. Borassus fruit fine fibers and tamarind fruit fibers treated for 2 h exhibited better mechanical properties and improved IAS with Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) -Epoxy matrix.