Compression Moulding Machine Research Articles

Thermal and water absorption properties of bio-synthetic hybrid reinforced polypropylene composites

In this study, cattle bone was processed and utilized as complementing reinforcement for the development of cattle bone/calcium carbonate reinforced polypropylene composites. The processed cattle bone was pulverized, calcined and sieved to obtain 53, 63 and 75 μm sizes that were used for the development of the hybrid composites. The composite consists of hybrid reinforcements amounting to 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 wt%. Compression moulding machine was used for the production of the composites. The fractured surfaces were examined using scanning electron microscopy. The effect of different reinforcement content and particle sizes on thermal and water absorption capacity of the hybrid composites was investigated. The water absorption test revealed that the control sample absorbed less water due to hydrophobic nature of pure polypropylene polymer. The 53 μm hybrid reinforced composite was found to be less porous with good resistance to water intake compared to other particle sizes and hybrid reinforcements. Similarly, the thermal conductivity of the composite was found to be higher than their corresponding particle sizes; culminating to reduction in the thermal resistance. The Thermo-gravimetric analysis/Derivative Thermo-gravimetric (TGA/DTG) analysis revealed that 15 wt%, 75 μm hybrid reinforced composite samples were more thermally stable in comparison with other particle sizes and the control sample. The SEM images revealed good interfacial adhesion in the morphology of 53 μm hybrid reinforced composite sample compared to other particle sizes.

Low velocity impact response of flax/polypropylene hybrid roving based woven fabric composites: Where does it stand with respect to GRPC?

Flax-PP based thermally bonded roving (TBR) has a unique structure where the flax fibres remain twist-free and fully aligned along the roving axis. The present study describes an experimental investigation on the low velocity impact (LVI) behaviour of the TBR based woven fabric composites and compares the same with plain woven glass fabric reinforced PP composites (GRPC). Two different fabric architectures namely plain woven (PW) and unidirectional (UD) are fabricated using flax/PP based TBR. These TBR based woven fabrics and the glass fabric/PP sheets are consolidated in a compression moulding machine and the resultant composite-laminates are tested for their LVI behaviour. The impact test results revealed that the glass/PP composites absorb more energy and exhibit a higher peak load than both TBR based PW and UD fabric composites. However, the specific load and energy of all flax/PP composites are higher than the glass/PP composite. The damage tolerance of all composite laminates are evaluated by comparing their flexural strength before and after the impact. It is observed that the proportionate loss in flexural strength due to impact thrust is larger in case of glass/PP composites than all flax-PP composites.

Crashworthiness Design for Trapezoid Origami Crash Structure Numerical

Corrugations can be considered to be one of the ways to improve the mechanical properties of thin-walled structure in terms of manipulation of surface area. However, this theory requires further validation through experimentation of different materials. Although many research works have been done towards the corrugated shell structures, the flexibility of corrugated sheets of thermoset composite material remains unknown. This study focused on the effects of surface area manipulation by using trapezoid origami structure which is trapezoidal folded lobe shape on the absorbed energy and mechanical properties of Epoxy reinforced with S-type fibreglass. Then the trapezoidal folded lobe shape design was drawn by using AutoCAD which consist of the design of the corrugated composite sheets and the design of trapezoidal folded lobe shape mould. Moreover, the fabrication of the Aluminum mould was done by using a CNC milling machine according to the drawing. So, a compression moulding machine will be used to fabricate the composite structure. Therefore, the vibration and compression tests were carried out to perform a study on the behaviour of the trapezoidal folded lobe thermoset samples and to investigate their deformation behaviour respectively. Based on those tests, the results are shown that the trapezoidal origami samples have higher virtual stiffness than the flat samples, and the trapezoidal origami crash thin wall absorbs 40 % more energy in Y-axis direction compared to in X-axis direction.

Sound and Vibration Damping Properties of Water Retted Kenaf Bast Fiber (WKF) and Poly (Butylene Succinate) PBS

Nowadays, considerable attention has been paid on the utilization of natural materials to reduce the carbon emission from material synthesis. In this study, the sound and vibration damping properties of natural material based Poly Butylene Succinate(PBS) and Water Retted Kenaf Bast Fiber(WKF) were explored and characterized. The goal is to characterize the sound absorption and damping properties of the PBS and WKF at difference materials percentage. The (material)PBS and WKF are produced by using Compression moulding machine model Gotech GT-7014-H and the sample thickness is 3 mm. The vibration damping measurement of the material is carried out based on the free vibration method technique. It is observed that the damping factor is obtained is 0.0469 for PBS material. The measurement of the sound absorption coefficient of the PBS and WKF is carried out using the impedance tube. The result shows that the maximum sound absorption of 0.305 was observed at a frequency of 642 Hz for PBS material. Whereas Tensile Strength, for PBS material shows 26.33 MPa. These results suggest that the PBS could be a viable candidate for applications which need good sound and vibration properties.

Tribo Performance Studies on Redmud Filled Pineapple Fiber Composite

For environmental issues, researchers are moving towards the new environment friendly materials. In the fiber reinforced polymer composites perceptive, finding the eco-friendly biodegradable materials are challenging one. The present research focuses on wear and erosion performance of composite developed with pineapple fiber as reinforcement, polyester resin as matrix and redmud an industrial waste as filler. The composites were fabricated by compression moulding machine. Pine apple fiber and matrix were taken in the ratio of 40:60. Red mud of varying weight percentages 10% and 20%wt were taken for the study. The wear and erosion performance of the composites enhance drastically by the incorporation of the redmud was evident from the results obtained.

Erosion and Mechanical Performance studies on NFRPC filled with Biochar

This work dealt with the fabrication of natural fibres reinforced polymer composites with the biochar as filler. Composites are prepared using compression moulding machine. Pineapple fibre was used as reinforcement and vinyl Ester resin was used as a matrix. Pineapple fibre of length 50 mm and weight as 50% were taken for the study. The prepared composites were subjected to erosion and mechanical performance studies and based on the results obtained, the prepared composites were suggested for suitable applications.

Investigation on Drilling Parameters of Jute and Cotton Fiber Strengthened Epoxy Composites

Presently a-days, the ordinary fibers from inexhaustible typical assets offer the conceivable to go about as a strengthening material for polymer composites option in contrast to the utilization of glass, carbon and other man-made fibers. Among various fibers, jute and cotton is most broadly utilized characteristic fiber because of its points of interest like simple accessibility, low density, low generation cost and adequate mechanical properties. The point of this work present the composites were created by with the assistance compression moulding machine. The penetrating machining was completed utilizing vertical drilling machine utilizing HSS drill and 6 mm diameter. Comparison of machinability between jute fiber and cotton fiber reinforced with epoxy composites at various compositions. The DOE L16OA was led at the impact procedure parameters on thrust force, torque in drilling activity was contemplated by differing the feed and speed to acquire the quality drilling in the composites. ANOVA was utilized to explore the impact of parameter on the exhibition qualities.

FABRICATION OF FLEXIBLE EP-FG COMPOSITE AUTOMOBILE SHELL STRUCTURE USING COMPRESSION MOULDING PROCESS

Corrugations are believed to enhance the mechanical properties of a shell structure. In this study, the theory of corrugation is applied to enhance the flexibility of epoxy- fibreglass material which is being used widely in the automotive industry. It could fulfil the requirement of using a flexible composite material for automobile shell structure for a more crashworthy design. Two different corrugated profiles were studied in this project which are the damped curve and pyramidal groove profiles. Rubber moulds were fabricated and used for the corrugated epoxy-fibreglass composite preparation. A compression moulding machine was used to form the corrugations on the composite material as it can deliver high pressure and temperature to cure the laminate. In this study, the compression moulding process was carried out under constant parameters: temperature,pressure and holding time. Results obtained from the tensile test of the corrugated epoxy-fibreglass composite sheets were compared with the tensile properties of a flat epoxy-fibreglass composite sheet to determine the effect of corrugations in terms of flexibility. The pyramidal groove corrugation managed to enhance the flexibility of the epoxy-fibre glass composite sheet, however there was a significant decrease in yield load, and no notable changes in tensile strength, yield strength and elongation. On the other hand, the flexibility achieved by the sample with damped curve corrugation is higher than the flat sample but lower than the flexibility possessed by the pyramidal groove sample. Elongation of the damped curve sample prior to fracture is two times higher compared to the elongation achieved by both pyramidal groove and flat samples. In conclusion, the epoxy-fibreglass composite sheet with the damped curve corrugation profile is the best, as it exhibits the desired increase in flexibility with minimal loss in terms of tensile strength, yield load and yield strength.
 Keywords: corrugation, thermoset composite, compression moulding, tensile test, damped curve, the pyramidal groove

Distributed Parallel Performance of Compression Molding Model for Some Characteristics Identification of Tire Tread Block

A control process based on the mathematical modeling of phase change simulations was used to address process limitations of tire tread manufacturing process. The objective of this model was to predict and monitor expected characteristic identifications respect to space and time. This paper proposes a high-performance control process for visualizing the temperature behavior of a compression molding process using pressure, density, elasticity, crack propagation, volume, space, and time during tire tread block manufacturing operations. The control process modeling of tire tread blocks at the liquid-solid interface enabled the use of large sparse computations for solving the real time molding process of a Rubber Compression Molding Machine (RCMM) LWB VRE 1000 type at the Malaysia Rubber Board Research Center (LGM). The modeling simulation emphasized parallel algorithms, domain decomposition, and parallel processing techniques on Distributed Parallel Computer Architecture (DPCS). This study identified alternative numerical methods and their parallelization by comparing numerical analysis and parallel performance indicators using tables, graphs, and multidimensional visualizations. The multidimensional visualization of characteristics using the high-performance control process model accurately illustrated the heating and cooling profile of the compression molding process.

Distributed Parallel Performance of Compression Molding Model for Some Characteristics Identification of Tire Tread Block.

A control process based on the mathematical modeling of phase change simulations was used to address process limitations of tire tread manufacturing process. The objective of this model was to predict and monitor expected characteristic identifications respect to space and time. This paper proposes a high-performance control process for visualizing the temperature behavior of a compression molding process using pressure, density, elasticity, crack propagation, volume, space, and time during tire tread block manufacturing operations. The control process modeling of tire tread blocks at the liquid-solid interface enabled the use of large sparse computations for solving the real time molding process of a Rubber Compression Molding Machine (RCMM) LWB VRE 1000 type at the Malaysia Rubber Board Research Center (LGM). The modeling simulation emphasized parallel algorithms, domain decomposition, and parallel processing techniques on Distributed Parallel Computer Architecture (DPCS). This study identified alternative numerical methods and their parallelization by comparing numerical analysis and parallel performance indicators using tables, graphs, and multidimensional visualizations. The multidimensional visualization of characteristics using the high-performance control process model accurately illustrated the heating and cooling profile of the compression molding process.

Powder metallurgy process towards functional gradation of Al-Al2O3 metal ceramic mixture samples

Functionally graded materials (FGM) belong to the class of advanced materials whose properties vary along one or more coordinate. In the present study, an attempt has been made to manufacture FGM beams using a powder metallurgy process. The Al and Al2O3 in powder form are mixed to different volume fraction according to the rule of mixture. These samples are ball milled to form a proper blended mixture and to reduce the particle size for 1 hour at 250 rpm with tungsten carbide balls. A cold compacted die made of AISI D2 steel is used for preparing the sample. Different composition of Al and Al2O3 with Al2O3 varying from 0 to 10% is laid in the die using ethanol as the binder. This sample is compressed using hydraulic press with a load varying from 50-70 ton. The compressed sample is removed using a compression moulding machine, then it is sintered to a temperature of 650°C using a muffle furnace to form a smooth graded Al-Al2O3 FGM beam. Various defects such as surface cracks and bending were experienced during the preparation of samples; these defects were overcome by varying the parameters such as loading and sintering temperature.

Optimisation of Process Parameters in Kenaf/Polypropylene Composites in Connection Moulding

Renewable natural fibres like kenaf can be used to produce composites as replacement to plastic boards in household and industrial applications. The objective of this study is to optimise the process parameters for compression moulding of kenaf polypropylene composite to get maximum tensile, flexural and impact strength values for three different blend ratios. Three levels of temperature (160oC, 180oC and 200 oC), compression pressure (7, 9 and 11 Mpa) and time of application (10,20 and 30 min ) for producing kenaf/ polypropylene blend ratios of 50:50, 65:35 and 80:20 have been used. The samples were produced through carding for web formation, needle punching for non woven making and finally in compression moulding machine for boards making. All the composite boards were analysed for tensile, flexural and impact strength. The tensile and flexural strengths have positive correlations with time and temperature and contact pressure in all the blend ratios kenaf / polypropylene. The impact strength has positive correlation with time, temperature whereas it has negative correlation with contact pressure in all the blend ratios. The highest tensile strength and flexural strength is achieved with 65:35 kenaf / polypropylene blend at 200 o C temperature, 11Mpa pressure and 10 minutes duration in compression moulding machine. The highest Impact strength is achieved with 80:20 blends at 180 o C, 7 Mpa pressure and 30 minutes duration. The tensile and flexural strength is the highest at the blend ratio of 65:35 whereas the Impact strength increases with the increase kenaf content up to 80%

Physio-mechanical and wear properties of novel jute reinforced natural rubber based flexible composite

This paper deals with the design, fabrication, physio-mechanical and wear characterization of the composites prepared from naturally available jute fiber and rubber matrix materials. Jute and natural rubber are cost effective, abundant and environmental friendly materials which can be used as fiber and matrix respectively. The flexible composite with different stacking sequence are manufactured using compression moulding machine and void percentage, water absorption percentage, tensile properties, tear strength, impact strength and shore hardness of the prepared composites are found along with the wear. The void content and water absorption are found to increase with increased number of plies in the composite with fibers contributing more compared to rubber. Tensile, tear, specific wear rate and hardness are found to better with a composite having minimum number of plies, which is JRJ. Charpy impact test revealed that the variation in specific impact strength of the three configuration of composites are negligible and no failure of composites were absorbed owing to their flexibility indicating all the three composites have additional capability to absorb much higher energy and suitable as sacrificial components for structural applications subjected to low velocity impact. The fractography analysis of tensile and tear test shows that the flexible composites are free from matrix cracking, but matrix tearing plays a vital role in failure. The mechanism of wear involved in the proposed composites when different constituents of the composite are exposed to abrasive medium is studied through surface morphology.

The Effects Of Phthalic Anhydride On R-Hdpe / Eva / Cff Composites: Tensile And Physical Properties

Phthalic anhydride is one of the compromise coupling agents that enhance the dispersion and hydrophobicity of fiber which consequently improved the interfacial adhesion of composites. This article is concerned with the mechanical properties, morphology, and functional groups towards recycled high density polyethylene (r-HDPE)/ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)/chicken feather fiber (CFF)/phthalic anhydride (PAH) composites. In this study, the r-HDPE/EVA/CFF/PAH composites with varies loading of phthalic anhydride (2, 4, 6 and 8 phr) were moulded into compression moulding machine and tested using conventional universal testing machine. Morphology and functional groups properties were characterized using field emission microscope (FESEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The results showed that the tensile and physical properties (water absorption and oven aging) of r-HDPE/EVA/CFF/PAH composites were slightly affected by the phthalic anhydride loading.

The Influences of Chicken Feather Loading on Tensile and Physical Properties of R-Hdpe/Eva/Cff Composites

PE/EVA blends are one of the popular existing commercial polymers which catch many attentions among researchers and manufacturing industry. This article is concerned with the mechanical properties, morphology, and functional groups towards recycled high density polyethylene (r-HDPE)/ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) reinforced with chicken feather fiber (CFF). In this study, the r-HDPE/EVA/CFF composites with varies ratio of chicken feather (2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, and 12.5 phr) were moulded into compression moulding machine and tested using conventional universal testing machine. Morphology and functional groups properties were characterized using field emission microscope (FESEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The results showed that the tensile and physical properties (water absorption and oven aging) of r-HDPE/EVA/CFF composites were slightly affected by the chicken feather fiber content.

Integrated Design for Biomass Compression Molding Machine Based on CAD Technology

This paper explores the architecture of the complete biomass compression molding machine based on CAD technology. Here is one biomass fuel molding machine with low energy consumption, high yield, long service life, and high density of molded fuels, designed in the flat die roller forming mode as required by design tasks after transmission scheme and master parameters are defined, provided that the advantages and disadvantages of all types of molding machines are analyzed. This equipment will fill up the gaps of traditional models in terms of high development cost, unreasonable architecture design, and short service life of key components.As a huge energy consumption super-country, China suffers from the pressure from both brisk energy demand and the environmental concerns due to more and more fossil energy consumption. The biomass fuel processed using compression molding technology can help alleviate the energy shortage, improve the ecological environment, and establish a sustainable energy system. On this basis, China has been driving into the fast lane of economic and social development. As a late starter, China never involved the investigation on such biomass compression molding technology until the 1980s. In recent years, the piston compression molding machine (CMM) based on hot press molding principle and the ring-mode compression granulator based on viscosity-shear principle, respectively developed by Henan Agriculture University and Shandong University as pioneers in the field, have been typical models in the study. Few ever involved the flat-mode granulator (FMG). Here we take it as a study case, analyzes the available flat-mode CMMs, and eventually works out a type of more practical flat-mode granulator by integrating relevant design theories and application technologies.

Influence of nanoclay on interlaminar shear strength and fracture toughness of glass fiber reinforced nanocomposites

Multilayer glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminates filled with nanoclay was manufactured with compression moulding machine. In the present work, five kinds of nanoclay (Cloisite 25A) loadings viz. 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10% on weight basis of epoxy resin were employed to modify the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), critical energy release rate (GIc) and impact energy properties of GFRP laminates. Experimental results obtained from ILSS test on clay filled GFRP confirm that the superior strength was attained at low clay content of 155.10 MPa. Furthermore, the mode I interlaminar fracture toughness test conducted on DCB specimens revealed that the commanding improvement of GIc was obtained at 2 wt.% clay content level. On the other hand, both ILSS and fracture toughness was getting reduced at higher clay loadings. At last, the impact strength of the test samples was investigated by using Izod impact test apparatus and observed that the impact energy was increased by 44.39% for 2 wt.% and followed by 24.87% for 4 wt.% clay loadings.

Electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of carbon/stainless steel/polypropylene hybrid yarn-based knitted fabrics and their composites

In this study, a range of conductive hybrid knitted fabrics and their composites have been investigated for shielding effectiveness in the frequency ranges of 50 MHz to 1.5 GHz (low frequency) and 4 to 8 GHz (C-Band). Carbon and stainless steel (SS) filaments were combined in Dref-3 spinning machine and different hybrid yarns were prepared. The plain- and rib-knitted fabrics were made in V-bed flat knitting machine from the prepared hybrid yarns. The composite laminate was prepared by sandwiching a ply of fabric between the polypropylene films in compression moulding machine at 180 °C for 5 min under a consolidation pressure of 12 bar. All the fabrics and composites were tested for shielding effectiveness (SE) in coaxial transmission line and C-band waveguide with the help of vector network analyser. It was observed that fabric having both conductive loop and inlaid yarns exhibited higher SE of 20.2 dB than other fabrics in low-frequency range. However, in the composite form, carbon composite with SS inlaid yarn showed better SE of 45 dB than other composites. In C-band frequency range, conductive loop fabric structures yielded high shielding effect in course direction compared to wales direction. Compared to fabric form, the composite showed higher SE for all frequency ranges. This study proposes that knitted fabrics and their composites can be utilized as electromagnetic shields in wide frequency ranges.

Investigation on mechanical properties and chemical treatment of litterous fibre reinforced polymer composites

Fibre reinforced polymer composites are replacing many metallic structures due to its high specific strength and modulus. However commonly used man-made e-glass fibres are hazardous for health and carcinogenic by nature. The increasing demand in recent years for new light considerable research and development in reinforced polymeric systems of greatest interest from an engineering viewpoint. The majority of the literature on fibre-reinforced polymer composites is concerned with continuous fibres in thermo set polymer matrices such as cured epoxy or polyester resin. The present paper emphasises on the importance of the newly identified litterous fibres which are extracted from spinifix litterous plant by manual process. The composite plates are produced by using compression moulding machine. The mechanical properties such as tensile, impact and flexural properties are studied with and without the chemical treatment. The chemical sources for the treatments include alkali, permanganate (with and without alkali pre-treatment) and acetylation of various concentrations. The significance of chemically treated natural fibres is seen through the improvement of mechanical strength and dimensional stability of resultant composites as compared with un-treated composites on litterous fibre.

Investigation on mechanical properties and chemical treatment of litterous fibre reinforced polymer composites

Fibre reinforced polymer composites are replacing many metallic structures due to its high specific strength and modulus. However commonly used man-made e-glass fibres are hazardous for health and carcinogenic by nature. The increasing demand in recent years for new light considerable research and development in reinforced polymeric systems of greatest interest from an engineering viewpoint. The majority of the literature on fibre-reinforced polymer composites is concerned with continuous fibres in thermo set polymer matrices such as cured epoxy or polyester resin. The present paper emphasises on the importance of the newly identified litterous fibres which are extracted from spinifix litterous plant by manual process. The composite plates are produced by using compression moulding machine. The mechanical properties such as tensile, impact and flexural properties are studied with and without the chemical treatment. The chemical sources for the treatments include alkali, permanganate (with and without alkali pre-treatment) and acetylation of various concentrations. The significance of chemically treated natural fibres is seen through the improvement of mechanical strength and dimensional stability of resultant composites as compared with un-treated composites on litterous fibre.