Abstract
This study has endeavored to develop an Al2O3‐filled natural fiber reinforced polymer composite which is intended to substitute the most widely used synthetic E‐glass fiber material. To attain the desired objective of the work, 0, 5, 10, and 15 wt% Al2O3‐filled chopped flax/unsaturated polyester resin composite have been developed by the conventional hand‐lay‐up method followed by a compression molding process. Consequently, characterization and mechanical property tests are conducted based on the ASTM standard. The results revealed that both tensile and impact strength properties of the base chopped flax/unsaturated polyester resin composite are all affected due to the inclusion and variation of the content of Al2O3 in 15 and 25 wt% fiber loading cases. It has been noticed that a 39.06% increase in the ultimate tensile strength of the composite in 25/UPR‐5 composition has been gained. The effect of Al2O3 on the impact strength of the base composite has also been analyzed and a 45% increase has been observed in 15/UPR‐10 composition. The findings also witnessed that the newly developed composite can be applied to make automotive parts such as mud guard and engine undercover.
Highlights
In the current scenario, natural or synthetic fibers can be used to make composite materials by combining them with binders
It was noticed that some chemical treatment processes and filler incorporation techniques had been used to enhance their properties, but the variation was not significant to use them for high external load and high-temperature applications. is work aims to analyze the effect of Al2O3 filler on the tensile and impact strength of chopped flax/UPR composite after combined chemical treatment processes with the need for enhanced tensile and impact strength, which has not been proved before
For the case of 25 wt% reinforced UPR composite, the ultimate tensile strength of the chopped flax/UPR composite has been enhanced by 39.06%, 20.33%, and 7.61% when 5, 10, and 15 wt% Al2O3 filler has been incorporated. e reason for these improvements is attributed to the uniform distribution of Al2O3 filler and the higher UPR/filler interface adhesion. is helps the UPR matrix to effectively transfer the induced stress to the chopped flax fiber and Al2O3 filler, bringing improved tensile strength
Summary
Natural or synthetic fibers can be used to make composite materials by combining them with binders (matrix materials such as thermoplastic or thermosetting polymers). Among the different kinds of bast fibers, flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is found ideal and preferable that it shows better mechanical properties (comparable specific tensile strength and higher specific Young’s modulus with E-glass fiber). Studies on the mechanical properties (tensile strength, tensile modulus, and impact strength) of flax fiber-reinforced polymer composites have given credit aiming at identifying their smart and poor characteristics in a variety of composition, matrix property, manufacturing, and testing conditions. E composite was fabricated by vacuum molding technique that attaining a uniform distribution of nano ZnO particles in the composite was a problem that was solved by mixing UPR/ ZnO with methanol To this end, tensile test results show that the incorporation of nano ZnO particles has no significant effect due to the small amount of nano ZnO particles, and it was lower than glass fiber reinforced polyester resin composite. It was noticed that some chemical treatment processes and filler incorporation techniques had been used to enhance their properties, but the variation was not significant to use them for high external load and high-temperature applications. is work aims to analyze the effect of Al2O3 filler on the tensile and impact strength of chopped flax/UPR composite after combined chemical treatment processes with the need for enhanced tensile and impact strength, which has not been proved before
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