Comparing the Effect of Mercerisation, Acetylation and Oxidation on the Tensile Properties of Luffa Cylindrica Fibers

Abstract

Treatment of natural fibers is an important way of improving their properties for specific applications. Luffa cylindrica is an excellent low-cost fiber for reinforced composite applications. This study aimed to investigate the influence of mercerisation, acetylation and oxidation pre-treatment on the tensile properties of Luffa fibres. It was observed that the stress-strain relationship for Luffa fiber is linear in the elastic region, with the untreated fiber withstanding the highest value of force in this phase. This proportional relationship was also consistently observed at the elastic region for all treatment types employed. The tensile strength of the untreated fibers was 7.083 MPa. There was an improvement in the tensile strength with acetylation (7.541 MPa) and a reduction due to oxidation (5.11 MPa) and mercerisation (5.517 MPa). We observed that the stress and strain within and outside the elastic region differed across treatment types and elastic regimes. Therefore, the study highlights the importance of considering the specific application when selecting the appropriate Luffa fibre treatment method.