Measurement of mechanical and thermal performance of cigarette filter fibres/eggshell particles reinforced polymer composite using integrated CRITIC-TODIM approach

Abstract

The study investigates the development of polyvinyl ester (VE) composites reinforced with day-by-day litter discarded cigarette filter fibre (CFF), utilizing a compression moulding process. Carbonized chicken eggshell powder (ESP) is incorporated as a filler material in the matrix phase, varying in weight percentages (0 %, 3 %, and 5 %). To optimize mechanical properties, a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach, employing Criteria Importance through Inter-criteria Correlation (CRITIC) integrated with the TODIM (TOmada de Decisao Interativa Multicriterio) methodology, is utilized. Process control factors include CFF (40–60 wt%), fibre length (10–20 mm), and filler (0–5 wt%) at different levels. The CRITIC-TODIM optimization results highlight the significant impact of ESP filler on enhancing tensile, impact, and flexural properties in the fabricated composites. The integrated approach identifies that a combination of CFF at 60 wt%, fibre length of 20 mm, and ESP at 3 wt% yields optimal mechanical characteristics. Furthermore, thermo-gravimetric analysis indicates that the composite developed under these optimal conditions exhibits superior thermal stability compared to the composite without ESP filler.