Investigation of the Mechanical Properties of Flax/Jute/UHMWPE Reinforced Melamine Formaldehyde Composites Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography

Abstract

ABSTRACT The research on natural fiber-reinforced composites has seen a rapid increase in recent years. The present study aims to further enhance the knowledge of composites by analyzing the mechanical properties of natural fiber-reinforced composites with flax and jute fibers. The properties of a composite are compared with those of a synthetic reinforcement like ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). Melamine formaldefghyde (MF) is employed as a matrix for the preparation of composites. Fabrication is performed with eight layers of each fabric type to produce composite panels of 4 mm thickness. Composites are fabricated using a combination of hand lay-up and temperature-induced compression molding techniques. Mechanical characteristics, particularly, flexural, interlaminar shear, and impact strength, are investigated. Flax-reinforced composites with a flexural strength of 36 MPa, an interlaminar shear strength of 3.5 MPa, and an impact strength of 11.57 kJ/m2 fared better than jute and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene composites, signifying the superiority of flax fiber composites. The application of a nondestructive technique like cone-beam computed tomography provided further insight into the failure mechanisms of the composites. Scanning electron microscopy images of the impact specimens revealed failure mechanisms like fiber breakage, fibers shearing and splitting, matrix cracks, voids, and delamination.