A study of filler content influence on dynamic mechanical and thermal characteristics of coir and luffa cylindrica reinforced hybrid composites

Abstract

Natural fiber reinforced composites have occupied more applications in major engineering fields due to their improved mechanical properties and eco-friendly nature. In this work, the consequences of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) as filler on thermo-gravimetric (TG) and Dynamic Mechanical (DM) properties with various proportions along with coir/luffa cylindrical (C/L/C) hybrid epoxy composites were investigated. Different proportions of the CaCO3 (0, 2 and 4%) – C/L/C hybrid composite samples were fabricated using hand layup technique. TG and DM analysis were carried out on the fabricated composite specimens and the results like thermal stability, storage modulus, loss modulus and loss factor (Tanδ) of the composite specimens were evaluated and compared with filler less composite specimens. It was observed that 2 g of CaCO3-C/L/C hybrid composites have high thermal and dynamic mechanical characteristics as compared to the other composite samples. Moreover, Cole-Cole plot revealed excellent bonding among the fibre, filler and matrix. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that the composites with 2 g filler content can be used in major engineering applications due to their improved dynamic mechanical properties.