Realization of mechanical and tribological properties of hybrid banana, sisal, and pineapple fiber epoxy composites using naturally available fillers

Abstract

In recent days the use of Natural fiber-reinforced composites in all sorts of consumer goods. A wide variety of technologies necessitate the use of materials with unusual property combinations, such as high strength-to-weight and stiffness ratios. Traditional metal alloys fall short of these quality standards, which has led to a significant increase in the applications of natural fibers. Hence, an effort has been made to investigate the effect of fillers like Coconut shell (CS), Saw dust (SD), Kolam (KP), and Fly ash powder (FA) on the mechanical and wear properties of Epoxy reinforced hybrid Sisal, Banana, and Pineapple fiber composites in this work. The Natural fibers weight percent was taken around 45 wt%, with the same quantity of epoxy blended with 10 wt% Naturally available fillers. The findings revealed that the CS fillers in the composite have a more positive influence on tensile strength and modulus than the composite with other fillers which are used in this study. SEM analysis of tensile-fractured CS specimens also reveals an improved fiber-matrix bonding. Similarly, the CS-filled composite also exhibits better flexural strength, modulus, and Impact strength maximum of up to 18% higher than the BS, SD, KP, and FA-filled Hybrid composites. Further, CS-filled composite has reduced weight loss against wear and friction due to higher lignin content.