Improvement Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Composite Reinforced with Sisal, Ramie and Carbon Fibers

Abstract

In this paper, justification of mechanical characteristics is carried out to determine the ability of bio-composites to become structural composite bicycle frames capable of achieving strengths of more than 300 [MPa]. Sisal fiber is a natural fiber that is widely used as a composite fiber and is easy to cultivate. The fiber is believed to originate from Central and South America. Nearly 4.5 million tons of sisal fiber are produced annually worldwide, according to FAO. In building structural materials, in addition to structural strength, it is hoped that the material will also have good ductility. For this reason, the assembled bio-composite material consists of carbon fiber, ramie fiber, sisal fiber. The fiber is then mixed with hard epoxy resin, soft epoxy and aluminum particles 9 µm which are mixed until smooth and even. The significant increase in material strength is obtained from the strength of carbon fiber. Another thing is that the ductility of the material is obtained due to sisal and ramie which are bound by a mixture of epoxy resins. Because the quality of plant products is very dependent on the agricultural process, this study, the residual material was taken from the Subang (Indonesie) area and the ramie fiber was obtained from the Bandung market. Because agricultural cultivation in Indonesia still emphasizes the use of chemicals, basically this also has an impact on plant bio elements. However, research using local materials was still able to obtain strength reaching ~480 MPa, so it is still good. In this research, the tensile test was carried out 3 times so that it is known that the fiber taken from a rope has the greatest tensile strength which reaches around 480 MPa.