Mechanical characterization of areca fine fiber fabric (AFFF) reinforced epoxy composites

Abstract

As the population grows, natural fibers are being used more frequently; as a result the use of natural fibers and agricultural waste has increased. Agricultural wastes, such as: arecanut husk fiber, banana fiber, and bamboo fiber, can be used to produce composite building materials. Arecanut husk fiber is the most abundantly available natural fiber. Arecanut fine fiber fabric (AFFF) is obtained from the arecanut shell. AFFF is broadly applicable in a variety of industries, including construction, marine structure, automobile, and aircraft. The current research focuses on the mechanical characteristics of composite panels, AFFF-mat preparation, and composite panel casting. A mat is prepared by a fine fiber treated with 6% of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The composite panel used in this study was made by combining AFFF-mat and epoxy resin with hardener by hand lay-up method. The tensile and compression tests were conducted to investigate the mechanical properties of AFFF. SEM analysis was conducted to examine the failure of composite elements. The tensile and compression strength of composites obtained was 10.82 MPa and 55.614 MPa respectively. The average Young’s modulus obtained for tensile and compression test specimens were 4.98 GPa and 7.675 GPa respectively.