Caracterização físico-mecânica das fibras da folha de carnaúba da região do Vale do Açu-RN

The main technological application of vegetable fibers is their use in the production of composite materials, such as mechanical reinforcement, in view of their economic, social and ecological benefits. They are known as lignocellulosic fibers because they have a basic constitution of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The main advantages compared to synthetic fibers are: low density and abrasiveness, low production cost, biodegradability, renewable origin, abundance and diversity. The main disadvantages of plant fibers are fiber / matrix incompatibility, mainly due to the fact that they are hygroscopic. The literature reports several studies on the superficial modification of fibers aiming at fiber / matrix coherence, and among the methods developed for this purpose is the hornification. The present study aims to study the physico-mechanical and morphological properties of the carnauba fibers of the Açu Vale region, relating their properties and potential applications, considering the potential of plant fibers and the rarity of the studies with carnauba fiber. The fibers used in this study were assigned by the Cooperativa Carnaúba Viva, which were manually defibrillated and divided into three groups, in which group 1 was not treated and 2 and 3 went through 5 wetting and drying cycles, the latter suffering Thermal shock during the process. Density values, mechanical strength, and fiber morphology analysis were obtained after hornification by means of MEV. The carnauba fiber in natura presented low density, with an average of 0.4865 g / cm3, compared to other fibers commonly used in the production of composites. The cycling partially removed the wax and left the fibers mechanically stronger.