Optimal design of needlepunched nonwoven fiber reinforced epoxy composites using improved preference selection index approach

Abstract

Viscose and polypropylene fiber-based needlepunched nonwoven fabric mat reinforced epoxy composites with varying mass per unit area (200, 400 and 600g/m2) and varying fabric mat weight percentage (20, 30, and 40wt.%) were fabricated. The manufactured composites were characterized for physical (density, void content), mechanical (impact energy, flexural, tensile and inter-laminar shear strength) and erosive wear properties. The evaluated properties were considered as performance defining attributes (PDAs) for the assessment of the composites. The experimental results indicate that there was no single composite which satisfied all the selected PDAs. Therefore, the improved preference selection index (PSI) approach was proposed to select the best composite alternative which yielded optimized physico-mechanical and erosive wear properties by considering all the PDAs at a single time. It was found that the composite alternative containing 40wt.% of 600g/m2 polypropylene fiber displayed the optimal physico-mechanical and erosive wear properties.