Preparation of Amazonian Palm Tree Fiber (Manicaria saccifera Gaertn.) for Composite Materials

Abstract

In the last fifteen years, a new approach has emerged in the design field: the process of development of new materials and the involvement of designers as original creators, making use of underutilized local materials. This paper aims to describe the preparation of an Amazonian palm tree fiber (Manicaria saccifera Gaertn.) for the use at composites materials. The raw materials were extracted from the Marajó archipelago - Brazil by local communities that traditionally work with the material. The process involves the measure of weight, length, and thickness at six different points of the raw specimen; manual washing and cleaning; drying with stopping criterion; and visual analyses of the specimen with trimming and cutting, for the potential use at composites. The results for 80 specimens show that the method adopted allowed easy and quick preparation of the specimens and can be used for other local materials, respecting its characteristics.

Keywords

• tururi fiber
• amazonian fiber
• composite materials
• preparation of samples