Abstract
Mechanical properties and abrasive wear behaviour of bi-directional jute fabric reinforced epoxy (J/Ep) with micron sized TiO2 particles at different wt% (2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10) were investigated. The tribo-potential of combined effect of TiO2 and jute fiber in epoxy (J/Ep) for enhancing the abrasion resistance has not been studied so far. Hence, the present work aims to explore the possibility of using TiO2 filler and jute fiber to reinforce the epoxy and thus open a new way to implement inexpensive reinforcements and produce new candidate tribo-material for industrial applications. Silane treated TiO2 filled J/Ep composites were prepared by hand lay-up method. Selected mechanical properties and three-body abrasive wear tests were evaluated as per ASTM standards. Results indicate an enhancement in the J/Ep composite mechanical properties due to addition of TiO2 particles up to 7.5 wt% of loading. Highest tensile and flexural properties were found at 7.5 wt% TiO2 loading. Results of abrasion tests show resistance to abrasion at 5 wt% TiO2 filled J/Ep composite. Scanning electron micrographs evidenced that the fiber and filler have fairly good bonding with matrix. Finally, this investigation confirms the applicability of TiO2 as secondary reinforcement in J/Ep composite.
Highlights
Despite the interest and environmental appeal of natural fibers, their use has been limited to non-bearing applications due to their poor strength and stiffness compared with synthetic fiber/filler reinforced polymer matrix composites (PMCs) [5]
The present work aims to investigate the role of TiO2 as secondary filler in the plain weave woven from jute fabric reinforced epoxy hybrid composites on mechanical and three-body abrasive behaviour of such hybrid composites
All measurements of the mechanical properties reported here show that the TiO2 filled jute fabric reinforced epoxy (J/Ep) samples are significantly stronger than the unfilled J/Ep composite samples
Summary
Attempts have been made to reduce the use of expensive fibers glass, aramid or carbon and lighten considerably the automotive parts by taking advan-. The attractive features of natural fibers like jute, sisal, silk, coir, banana, have been their low cost, light weight, high specific modulus, renewability and biodegrability. Since the interfacial bonding between the reinforcing fillers/fibers and polymer matrix is an important element in realizing the mechanical properties of the bio-based polymer composites. It is reported that a considerable amount of improvement in mechanical properties can be achieved using micron-sized filler loadings. Moloney et al and other researchers [12]-[15] have reported that by selecting higher modulus filler and increasing the volume fraction, the modulus of filler filled epoxy can be increased These reports prompted us to consider the exciting possibility of incorporating the fine micron-sized TiO2 particles in a composite consisting of jute fabric reinforced epoxy to study their effects on the mechanical properties and abrasive wear behaviour of the composites. They concluded that addition of TiO2 particles into epoxy has a dramatic effect on the flexural strength, tensile modulus, and interlaminar strength in comparison to homogeneous composites
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