Fabrication and Performance Test of Glass-Bamboo Fiber Based Industry Safety Helmet

Abstract

In this 21st century, the interest in using natural fibers as reinforcement in polymer composite material has increased significantly. Now this natural fiber based composite manufacturing has been a wide area of research and it is the most preferred choice for its superior properties like low density, stiffness, light weight and possesses better mechanical properties. All helmets attempt to protect the user’s head by absorbing mechanical energy and protecting against penetration. Industrial helmet is essentially made up of polyethylene thermoplastic. In this study, an attempt has been made to fabricate bamboo-glass fiber based polymer composite helmet and investigate its performances. For this helmet, the materials were chosen epoxy resin (ADR 246 TX) as the matrix and bamboo mat and glass fiber as reinforcement. The construction of the helmet is done by using hand lay -out techniques. The helmets thus made were tested for their mechanical properties like compression and impact test. Visual analysis of the helmets shows that hand lay - out techniques provides a reliable process to make a perfect helmet. The performance test results indicate that bamboo-glass fiber based polymer helmet has a sustainable strength over polythene thermoplastic for the application of industrial safety helmets. Cost analysis indicate that using this helmet cost saving more that 30% can be achieved.