Detailed Project Report (DPR) on Sisal Fibre Feinforced Cement Roofing Sheet

SISAL FIBRE FEINFORCED CEMENT ROOFING SHEET

[EIRI/EDPR/1386] J.C. 162

INTRODUCTION

Sisal, the common name for Agave sisalana, is a plant of the agave family Agavaceae that yields a stiff fiber traditionally used in making twine, rope and dartboards. The term may refer either to the plant or the fiber, depending on context. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as sisal hemp because hemp was for centuries a major source for fiber, so other fibers were sometimes named after it.

In the 19th century, sisal cultivation spread to Florida, the Caribbean islands and Brazil, as well as to countries in Africa—notably Tanzania and Kenya—and Asia. The first commercial plantings in Brazil were made in the late 1930s and the first sisal fiber exports from there were made in 1948. It was not until the 1960s that Brazilian production accelerated and the first of many spinning mills was established. Today, Brazil is the world’s leading producer of sisal. There are both positive and negative environmental impacts from sisal growing.

Cellulose is a skeletal polysaccharide, ubiquitous in the plant kingdom and one of the commonest naturally occurring fibrous materials. Strictly speaking all plant fibres are single-cell materials. Except for seed fibres most plant fibres exist in bundles of ultimate fibres. A fibre is defined as ‘a unit of matter characterized by flexibility, fineness, and high ratio of length to thickness’ while fibre ultimate can be defined as ‘one of the unit botanical cells into which leaf and bast fibres can be distinguished. The term ‘fiber’ refers to organic fibers derived from plants such as coconuts, sisal hemp, and/or synthetic inorganic fibers that are clean and without sugar and/or asbestos. . Coir waste, wood wool or Sisal fibre can be profitably utilized in combination with cement as a binder for production of corrugated or plain roofing sheets.

Fibres have been used to toughen bricks and pottery since the very beginning of civilization, but only in the last twenty five years have the principles of fibre reinforcement of brittle matrices began to be scientifically understood. Initially, it was suggested that the cracking strain of brittle matrices, such as cement paste mortar and concrete, could be significantly increased by using closely spaced fibres.

Sisal fibre is another suitable fibre available from Sisal plant and is being extensively used in other developing countries like Africa for making board and roofing sheets. For making corrugated sheets, weighed quantity of the fibre is soaked in water for sometime which is mixed with pressed quantity of cement thoroughly. The cement coated mixed stuff is uniformly spread on the drag mould and is pressed by hydraulic press. The wedged mould assembly is then rolled out of the press and is cured for 3-4 hours in the curing yard. Water proofing paint is applied on top side of the sheets after demoulding.

In recent years, a great deal of interest has been created worldwide on the potential applications of natural fibre reinforced, cement based composites. Investigations have been carried out in many countries on various mechanical properties, physical performance and durability of cement based matrices reinforced with naturally occurring fibres including sisal, coconut, jute, bamboo and wood fibres. These fibres have always been considered promising as reinforcement of cement based matrices because of their availability, low cost and low consumption of energy.

Sisal fiber is valued for cordage use because of its strength, durability, and ability to stretch, affinity for certain dyestuffs and resistance to deterioration in salt water. These fibres have always been considered promising as reinforcement of cement based matrices because of their availability, low cost and low consumption of energy.

The inclusion of fibre reinforcement in cement paste can enhance many of the engineering properties of the basic materials, such as fracture toughness, flexural strength and resistance to fatigue, impact, thermal shock and spalling. In recent years, a great deal of interest has been created worldwide on the potential applications of natural fibre reinforced, cement based composites.

The production of sisal fibres as compared with synthetic fibres or even with mineral asbestos fibres needs much less energy in addition to the ecological, social and economical benefits.

Fiber-cement products had been widely used in the world due to their versatility as corrugated and flat roofing materials, cladding panels, and water containers presented in large number of building and agriculture applications. The main reason for incorporating fibers into the cement matrix is to improve the toughness, tensile strength, and the cracking deformation characteristics of the resultant composite.

COST ESTIMATION

Plant Capacity            800 Sheets/Day

Land & Building (1.2 Acres)    US$ 2.91 Lac

Plant & Machinery                    US$ 2.84 Lac

Working Capital for 2 Months    US$ 1.41 Lac

Total Capital Investment          US$ 8.16 Lac

Rate of Return                          62%

Break Even Point                      54%

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

FIBER REINFORCEMENT

PRINCIPAL ADVANTAGES OF NATURAL FIBRE COMPOSITES

FIBER SELECTION AND COMPOSITE PREPARATION

PROPERTIES

COMPOSITION

APPLICATIONS

BEHAVIOR OF CEMENT BASED COMPOSITES

FIBRE CEMENT ROOFING ACCESSORIES

MARKET SURVEY

MANUFACTURING PROCESS

EQUIPMENT OF PRODUCTION LINE

PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM

MACHINERY SUPPLIERS

PHOTOGRAPHS

RAW MATERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS

EQUIPMENTS PHOTOGRAPHS

TANZANIAN SISAL INDUSTRY; HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

CEMENT CORRUGATED SHEET PRODUCTION PLANT

APPENDIX – A:

01. PLANT ECONOMICS

02. LAND & BUILDING

03. PLANT AND MACHINERY

04. OTHER FIXED ASSESTS

05. FIXED CAPITAL

06. RAW MATERIAL

07. SALARY AND WAGES

08. UTILITIES AND OVERHEADS

09. TOTAL WORKING CAPITAL

10. TOTAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT

11. COST OF PRODUCTION

12. TURN OVER/ANNUM

13. BREAK EVEN POINT

14. RESOURCES FOR FINANCE

15. INSTALMENT PAYABLE IN 5 YEARS

16. DEPRECIATION CHART FOR 5 YEARS

17. PROFIT ANALYSIS FOR 5 YEARS

18. PROJECTED BALANCE SHEET FOR (5 YEARS)