Taguchi method for optimization of fabrication parameters with mechanical properties in fiber and particulate reinforced composites

Abstract

In this paper, the grey-based Taguchi method was used to optimize the fabrication parameters with mechanical properties (multiple performance characteristics) in roselle fiber with (5 % wt) Coconut shell powder (CSP) reinforced vinyl ester (RFRVE) composites. Composite plates were prepared based on the Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array using hand lay-up technique at room temperature. Fabrication parameters namely fiber length, fiber content, and fiber diameters were optimized based on the grey relational grade (GRG) as performance index obtained from the grey relational analysis to get the maximum level of multiple performance characteristics such as the tensile strength, the flexural strength, and the impact strength. The results show that the fiber content is the most significant fabrication parameter which greatly affects the mechanical properties of RFRVE composite compared to the fiber length and the fiber diameter. It was proved that the multiple performance characteristics of the plant based natural fiber and particle reinforced polymer composites can be effectively improved by this method.