Potential of Syngonanthus nitens fiber as a reinforcement in epoxy composite and its mechanical characterization

Abstract

Syngonanthus nitens, locally called Sikki grass, is one of such potential natural fiber resources whose potential as a reinforcement in polymer matrix composite has not been explored till date. Natural fiber-reinforced epoxy composites are getting more importance between the research community in recent time. These types of composites are environment-friendly, biodegradable and having the comparable specific strength with respect to synthetic fiber composite. The present work is associated with fabrication of Syngonanthus nitens short fiber-reinforced epoxy polymer composite of different fiber fractions (10, 20, 30 and 40 wt%) by hand layup method. Mechanical tests were performed for characterization as per ASTM standard. It is observed that 30 wt% of fiber fraction composite gives the optimum strength among all weight percentage of fiber. EDS, XRD and FTIR analysis were carried out for finding the constituent proportion, crystallographic structure and organic functional group of the fiber and its composite. SEM study of fractured surfaces was also carried out for finding the fracture mechanism.