Experimental investigation on physical and mechanical properties of wheat fiber filled epoxy composites

Abstract

Continuous research is being carried out to limit the usage of plastic and to make more and more green products. Utilizing readily available leftover wheat straw fibre and commercially available epoxy resin is the goal of the current work. These composite materials are made using hand layup approach with varied fibre weight percentages (4, 7, 10, 13 wt%). Both, Alkaline treated (NaOH) and untreated wheat fibre filled epoxy composite are subjected to physical (density, void content and water absorption) and mechanical (tensile, flexural, impact and hardness) characterization. The experimental investigation reveals that alkali-treated wheat epoxy composites have higher mechanical properties then the untreated wheat straw filled composites. As a result, it can be said that the alkali treatment improves the physical and mechanical properties of the wheat fiber-filled epoxy composites that can be used for various household applications.