Abstract
In this study, the breaking behaviour of polymethylmethacrylate reinforced with nettle fibre was investigated experimentally. Single edge notched bending (SENB) and compact test(CT) specimens were produced to include notches in various ratios. The Mode I fracture behaviour of samples were determined utilizing static frac-ture toughness experiments such as the Three Point Bend-ing (TPB) and Compact Tensile tests. The fracture tough-ness (KIC) was investigated using the TPB Test (Compli-ance and Initial notch method), and Compact Tension test. The bending module and bending stresses were also determined. It was found that nettle-fibre reinforcement improves the bending strength of the composite by 60% and improves the fracture toughness more than two-fold.
Highlights
The use of natural fibres is becoming increasingly more popular in composite materials manufacturing
The Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopic (FTIR) analysis of the composite clearly shows the presence of nettle fibres within the composite structure, whose presence results in various peaks depending on their chemical composition, while some small shifts were observed in some of PMMA’s peaks, which could indicate a weak interaction between the two types of material
This study revealed that it is possible to successfully develop a composite with improved mechanical and fracture properties by reinforcing, in our case, PMMA with nettle fibres
Summary
The use of natural fibres is becoming increasingly more popular in composite materials manufacturing. Many researchers have investigated the use of natural fibres (e.g., cellulose, jute, sisal, husk, and coconut) in preference to polymeric composites, and made positive comments about their structure-feature relationships [5,6,7,8,9] Thermoset matrices such as polyester, acrylic and epoxy have been used to evaluate the linear elastic fracture toughness of composites [10,11,12,13,14]. We will attempt to determine the breaking behaviour of nettle fibre-reinforced composites using various methods To this end, the bending tests and compact tensile tests of notched stick samples were carried out in accordance with ASTM E-399 standards. The fibre added to the polymethyl-methacrylate matrix increased the fracture strength of composite four-fold
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