Abstract:
The titica vine fibers (Heteropsis flexuosa), when incorporated into an epoxy matrix, showed good potential as a reinforcing filler in these new materials. In this research, titica vine fiber composites were manufactured in volumetric fractions of 0% - 40%, with the objective of evaluating the average Charpy impact energies. For composites with 40% v/v fibers, the reinforcement was more efficient, with a predominance of mechanisms such as pull-out and fiber breakage, which could be seen from the SEM. The Tukey test confirmed that the composites with 40% presented better performance compared to the control group (pure epoxy), as well as the fractions of 20 and 30% v/v of fibers, reaching an energy absorption of 75.05 J/m. However, it was also verified that the fibers acted as an weakening agent in the 20% composites.