Fibra de juta (Corchorus capsularis) reforçada com resina epóxi para uso potencial no desenvolvimento de embarcações de baixo custo

Abstract

In the State of Amazonas, the cultivation of jute plant fiber (Corchorus capsularis) had a great contribution to regional economic and social development. In its trajectory, the economy of this fiber presented notable points such as its peak in the 60s, which represented a third of the Amazonian PIB, and its decline at the end of the 80s, due to certain factors in the country's economic policy that intensely decomposed the regional panorama. This time, the strengthening of family farming appears as one of the main local development strategies, and the production of vegetable fibers is a great economic and social alternative, due to its development potential due to the growing global demand and its strong appeal. ecological. For these reasons, the objective was to show scenarios of importance in the cultivation of jute fiber (Corchorus capsularis) with application in the state of Amazonas as well as its characterization in the laboratory. In this research, the methodology applied was exploratory and experimental, with the results analyzed quantitatively. For the analyses, laboratory tests of the fiber were carried out in order to understand its structure. In the first part of the research, it can be observed that the obvious policies are determining factors for the dynamism of this production chain, such as seed distribution, protection policies for products developed by this fiber, financing policy and the state subsidy policy for this fiber. product. Based on the analyzes of this study, priority measures are suggested to improve the cultivation of this fiber in Amazonas, such as the acquisition of machinery and equipment for harvesting and planting, increasing the value of the economic subsidy, and facilitating the acquisition of jute seeds ( Corchorus capsularis), in the protection of imports and in the pension conditions of farmers. After laboratory analysis of the thermal behavior of the fiber in question by TG and DTG, it is verified that the material can be used in composites even suffering mass loss, as this detriment is related to the water in the lignocellulosic fibers. In the MEV test, when analyzed qualitatively, the presence of hydrated points in its fibrils is observed on the surface of the fiber, which indicates good adhesion between the matrix and fiber. Impregnation procedures with epoxy resin, In addition to coating, they also provide bonding between the fiber strands with epoxy resin. The results of mechanical tests on specimens manufactured with fiber and epoxy resin demonstrate that, when the fiber is subjected to direct tensile stress, it gains greater resistance and stiffness capacity, even reducing the coefficient of variation. Furthermore, it can be seen from laboratory tests that this vegetable fiber has the potential to contribute not only to bags and regional crafts, but also to other by-products originating from its plant, as this study was granted approval for the patent application related to the manufacture. hull of a small nautical vessel. The hypothesis was proven that the fiber, after some treatments, could be viable in the production of goods, such as the successful test with the development of a prototype of a small boat. Finally, Amazonas combines environmental conditions and human resources to become self-sufficient in the cultivation of this fiber, being able to contribute to its sustainable development.