Development and characterization of alkali-treated and untreated Dactyloctenium aegyptium fibers based epoxy composites

Abstract Natural fibers are widely used as they are ecofriendly and abundant in nature. The performance of the natural fibers is enhanced by chemical treatment. The current study deals with the extraction of Dactyloctenium aegyptium (DA) fibers, commonly known as “Crowfoot grass” using a conventional retting process. The obtained fibers were subjected to alkali treatment using NaOH followed by distilled cleaning to remove traces. This was followed by drying in sunlight and in a hot air oven. The obtained alkali-treated Dactyloctenium aegyptium fibers were mixed with an epoxy-hardener mixture in the ratio (60% matrix and 40% fibers) to form laminates using conventional hand lay-up process in comparison with untreated fibers. The final composite laminates were subjected to mechanical behavior namely tensile, flexural, impact as per ASTM. Test results showed that alkali-treated Dactyloctenium aegyptium fiber based epoxy composites had better mechanical properties with an ultimate tensile strength of 57 MPa compared to those untreated (45 MPa) due to the removal of amorphous constituents from the fiber leading to better interlocking properties with the matrix. These results prove that Dactyloctenium aegyptium fiber based epoxy composites can be used for lightweight and medium load applications.