Mechanical and visco elastic analysis of Sal tree gum incorporated epoxy bio composite

Abstract

The impact of Sal tree (Shorea Robusta) gum powder on the mechanical, visco elastic, and thermal characteristics of epoxy resin was studied. Using the hand layup technique, composite specimens were created by adding bio filler (Sal tree gum powder) at various volume percentages in epoxy resin. Experiments were carried out to assess the epoxy composite's mechanical, thermogravimetric, and viscoelastic characteristics. Results showed that the bio filler had a substantial impact on the mechanical, thermal, and dynamic mechanical characteristics of the samples. Better mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties were obtained at 16% v/v of Sal Tree gum powder. The inclusion of the bio filler, on the other hand, had no appreciable impact on the flexural and tensile strengths of the composite. The morphological features of a tensile cracked specimen were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the specimen. The homogeneity of the bio composite was also examined by using the Cole Cole plot. According to the findings, the composite specimens containing the bio filler showed uniform features. It was observed that the composite specimens incorporated with the bio filler exhibited homogeneous characteristics. The thermal stability of the composite was investigated using thermogravimetric (TGA) test, and it was found that the inclusion of filler enhanced the thermal stability of the composite, with the composite remaining stable up to 431 °C after the addition of filler. The results of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) tests showed that the inclusion of bio filler resulted in an increase in storage modulus, suggesting that the composite is capable of greater energy absorption within the elastic limit. The glass transition temperature was calculated to be 110 °C.