Door Panel Research Articles

Retracted] Comparative Analysis of Natural Fibre Reinforced Composite Material Using ANSYS

The regulations of legislative bodies regarding the recycling and reusage of automotive materials has caused a great deal of obligation among automotive manufacturers to use natural fibres or green composites. Green composites or more commonly known as bio‐composites are made up of natural fibres. Natural fibres are used by humankind since prehistoric times. The natural fibre is obtained from plants as well as animals. Since the natural fibre is obtained from natural as well as biological resources, it is biodegradable and recyclable. This paper presents the study and analysis conducted to address the suitability of natural fibre in the automotive industry. This paper discusses the finite element analysis of four different natural fibre composites used for making car door panel, i.e., flax, jute, sisal, and leather are taken for the material study. This paper helps to find the effectiveness of each of the four natural fibre composites that have already been used in the automotive sector. This paper includes the analysis of four different natural fibres with and without the addition of the aluminium as the reinforcement material. This project revolves around the design of the composite fibre sheet and analysis of the mechanical parameters such as equivalent stress, shear stress, strain, deformation, and so on. The studies and observations of the analysis showed that the natural fibre with the aluminium reinforcement proved to be much stronger than that without the reinforcement. The results of finite element analysis showcased lowest total deformation and equivalent strain in the flax as 1.026 m and 0.017 mm/mm, respectively. However, sisal showed the lowest equivalent stress and shear stress which were 68.09 and 38.178 MPa, respectively. Additionally, leather showed the highest amount of stress, strain, and deformation, and hence leather was deemed to have undesirable properties regarding the usage in car door panels. All the materials except leather were found to be safe under the loading conditions. Hence, the flax fibre is recommended by the project to have superior properties compared to the other materials.

Numerical investigation on the blast resistance of a door panel

Abstract Blast doors are specially designed doors for military facilities and important civil buildings in potentially explosive environment. In the present investigation, Finite Element (FE) analysis is carried out to understand the dynamic response of blast door under a given blast loading using ABAQUS/Explicit®. Five different doors configurations with two different materials i.e. AISI 1045 steel and structural steel (ST37) are investigated. Further, effect of consideration of strain rate, on dynamic response of the doors, is investigated using rate dependent Johnson-Cook model. Blast load is applied using ConWep function to understand the dynamic response of blast door in terms of displacement at different locations along with their failure patterns. Based on this investigation, it is observed that central point displacement is significantly influenced by the geometry of door with all other parameters being same. Further, considerations of strain rate show no major effect on the peak displacement for both the materials considered in the present investigation.

Numerical modelling of climate-induced fracture and deformation in wood: Application to historical museum objects

Damage in oak wood museum objects under indoor climate variations (relative humidity, temperature) is studied using a thermo-hygro-mechanical model. The model incorporates the effects of moisture sorption hysteresis and discrete cracking, and is implemented within a finite element framework using a staggered update procedure. Sorption experiments were performed in order to calibrate the moisture sorption hysteresis model. The basic features of the coupled formulation are stepwisely demonstrated by solving the response of a basic oak wood specimen under a sequence of thermo-hygro-mechanical loading conditions of increasing complexity. These simulations show that the deformation and fracture generated by thermal variations representative of indoor museum conditions are minor compared to the contributions caused by relative humidity variations. Subsequently, the hygro-mechanical response of an oak wood cabinet door panel is analysed under a drop in relative humidity from 60% to 20%, and the results are compared to those obtained by experiments. The numerical and experimental results are in good agreement, and indicate that at the connection between the cleated end and the vertical boards the restrained hygric shrinkage is maximal, which stimulates local crack development. The susceptibility to fracture only becomes activated after the oak wood has reached a certain age, as the effect of aging induces a decrease of the oak wood tensile strength perpendicular to the grain direction with time. Further, when the initial moisture content lies on the desorption boundary curve, the amount of fracture generated is larger compared to when it lies on the adsorption boundary curve. Also, fracture only nucleates after a specific drop in relative humidity, whereby the crack growth under a continuous decrease in relative humidity initially develops relatively fast, but at a certain stage decreases substantially and becomes (almost) zero when reaching a fully developed failure crack. The location and orientation of this failure crack are in accordance with in situ observations on historical oak wood cabinets.

Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Classroom as against Online Mode of Instruction on Students’ Psychomotor Performance in Woodwork Technology

The purpose of this study was to compare the psychomotor performance of students taught woodwork technology with classroom as against online mode of instruction in Nigerian Universities. Two research questions guided the study, as well, one (1) hypothesis was formulated and tested at .05 level of significance. The quasi experimental design was used and the population of the study was 67Undergraduate Students from the Department of Technical Education, Ebonyi State University Abakiliki. The sample of the study was 48 students comprising of 30 and 18 students from 100level and 200level respectively. The instrument for data collection was the Woodwork Technology Practical Skills Assessment Instrument (WTPSAI) for measuring the psycho-performance of Woodwork Technology students in the manufacturing of stool, office chairs, door frame, panel door, and brace and batten door. The instrument was developed by the researcher which was content and face validated by 3 research experts from Delta State University Abraka, one from Measurement and Evaluation and the other two from Technical Education. Treatment was administered to the two experimental groups using two different mode of instruction, after which data were collected by the researcher through the administration of WTPSAI by lecturer from the institution selected for the study. Data collected were analysed using T-test to test the hypothesis. The study revealed that classroom and online mode of instruction for teaching and learning woodwork technology have significant effects on students’ psychomotor performance in Woodwork Technology. Furthermore, unlike Classroom mode of instruction, Online Mode of Instruction appears to be more effective in terms of the acquisition of psychomotor skills. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that Woodwork Technology lecturers and instructors should integrate online mode of instruction in the implementation of Woodwork Technology curriculum which will aid in the production of competent woodwork Technology graduates that will be useful to him/her self and to the society.

Mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of unsaturated polyester/chemically treated woven kenaf fiber/AgNPs@PVA hybrid nanobiocomposites for automotive applications

One of the major problems of the natural fiber reinforced composites is the inadequate interfacial bonding between the fibers and the polymer matrix. This problem can be overcome by removing the lignin and related materials from the fiber by chemical treatments. Besides nanoparticles are drawing more attention in the past two decades as they enhance the mechanical properties of polymers and composites. Hence, in the present work silver nanoparticles (AgNPs@PVA) were prepared and nanobiocomposites were made using unsaturated polyester resin, woven kenaf fiber (untreated and treated with NaOH, formic acid, acetic anhydride, hydrogen peroxide and KMnO4) and 2% AgNPs@PVA. In the FT-IR spectrum the band at 1736 cm−1 due to lignin disappeared completely for the fiber treated with 5% NaOH. The intensity of the above band was found to decrease in the order of KMnO4 > H2O2 > Ac2O > Untreated > HCOOH > NaOH treated fibers. The same trend was also observed in the mechanical properties of the nanobiocomposites. The tensile strength decreased in the order KMnO4 (40.76 N/mm2)>H2O2 (39.88 N/mm2)>untreated (35.04 N/mm2)>HCOOH (35.73 N/mm2)>Ac2O (34.6 N/mm2)>NaOH (26.80 N/mm2) treated nanobiocomposites. Both NaOH and HCOOH treated fibers were damaged as confirmed by the surface morphological studies. KMnO4 treated KF + PE + AgNPs@PVA nanobiocomposite showed better mechanical properties and less water uptake when compared to other nanobiocomposites. So addition of AgNPs@PVA and chemical treatment of the fibers together significantly increased the mechanical properties and reduced the water absorption properties of nanobiocomposites. This study, suggests that the material studied here could be good replacement for automotive interior (side panels, seat frames, central consuls) and exterior parts (door panels, dash boards).

Production and characterization of bamboo and sisal fiber reinforced hybrid composite for interior automotive body application

Composite materials have high strength to weight ratio with low density and high stiffness to weight, high strength ratios, and high fatigue strength to weight ratio compared to traditional engineering materials making them find wide applications in structural constructions. When the lightweight composite materials which are made of lightweight natural fibres are used in automotive application, the fuel economy of the vehicle improves reducing the related harmful emissions. The aim of this research is to develop and characterize the performance of sisal and bamboo reinforced polyester hybrid composite (BSFRHC) with different fibre orientation of sisal and unidirectional (UD) bamboo fibre. Next, BSFRHC was fabricated with 20% total fibre volume fraction. Of this total fibre volume, the composite is fabricated in 3:1 bamboo to sisal fibre ratio using hand lay-up technique. Then tensile, compressive, impact and flexural tests were carried out. In general, it is concluded that as varying fiber orientation, the tensile strength varies. The higher tensile strength is observed with 0° fibre orientation of bamboo/sisal fiber reinforced hybrid composite. From compressive strength of the hybrid composite reinforced with bamboo/sisal fibre, it is observed that the 0°-fibre orientation composite is exhibiting higher compressive strength than 90° fibre orientation composite and bidirectional (0°/90°) fibre orientation composite. Unidirectional 90° fibre orientation was found to have a higher tensile and flexural strength whereas unidirectional 90° and bidirectional (0°/90°) fibre orientation nearly have the same value of tensile strength, whereas bidirectional (0°/90°) was found to be having higher flexural strength than unidirectional 90° fibre orientation. Impact analysis of vehicle internal door panel made of BSFRHC was done using ANSYS Software. Furthermore, it is found that the bamboo and sisal fibre reinforced hybrid composite in unidirectional 0° has the potential to be used for automotive interior part application.

Design Optimization of Foldable Hangar Door for Naval Ships

After landing of helicopter on the deck of naval ship, it is to be protected from the sea atmospheric condition. For this purpose, a parking area is available on the deck of ship. The aft end of helicopter is enclosed in the hangar on deck of ship with the help of Foldable Hangar Door system. It is two door panel system which are foldable hanging type at the hinges at the top of hangar. The purpose of this system is only for proper movement of helicopter and its protection from different sea states conditions. In this project, after studying the available Foldable Hangar Door, different site issues related to the reliability of system are observed and that are tried to overcome by providing alternate possibilities as well as design optimization of system is done for the improvement of performance of system. In this project the issues which were causing difficulties are modified with new design and with some alternate solutions. The new system of Foldable Hangar Door is modeled and designed with performing the analysis of the new alternate possible solutions and are compared with the old design system in each aspect including weight of system, the performance of system etc. The system is also analyzed for different loading condition including sea atmospheric conditions are compared with the old design and found to be performing well. Hence new design approach of the system is further proceeded for the approval of customer where it will be validated for the specified system operating condition which are already specified by them while doing the designing.

Multifunctional sandwich panel design with lithium-ion polymer batteries

This paper investigates the mechanical properties of lithium-ion polymer (LiPo) batteries and their subsequent use in the design of multifunctional sandwich panels for automotive applications. Shear properties, flexural properties and compression properties of prismatic pouch LiPo batteries are determined experimentally through a hole-punch test, a three-point bending test and an in-plane compression test, respectively. This study is the first to characterize the shear properties of a lithium-ion battery, which are critical in sandwich panel design. The mechanical properties of the batteries obtained are then applied to existing analytical models of multifunctional sandwich panels consisting of carbon fibre composite facesheets and LiPo battery cores, which are currently being considered for use in automotive panel design. A material selection procedure for a stiffness-limited automotive car door panel subjected to bending shows that a trade-off between mechanical performance and cost can be achieved by using a composite sandwich panel with thin LiPo battery cores or by embedding larger LiPo batteries in lower-density polymer foam cores. The practicality and implementation aspects of using sandwich composites with LiPo battery cores in automotive design are also discussed.

Identification of Automotive Cabin Design Parameters to Increase Electric Vehicles Range, Coupling CFD-Thermal Analyses with Design for Six Sigma Approach

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">The ongoing global demand for greater energy efficiency plays an essential role in vehicle development, especially in the case of electric vehicles (EVs). The thermal management of the full vehicle is becoming increasingly important, since the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system has a significant impact on the EV range. Therefore the EV design requires new guidelines for thermal management optimization.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">In this paper, an advanced method is proposed to identify the most influential cabin design factors which affect the cabin thermal behavior during a cool down drive cycle in hot environmental conditions. These parameters could be optimized to reduce the energy consumption and to increase the robustness of the vehicle thermal response.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">The structured Taguchi’s <i>Design for Six Sigma</i> (DFSS) approach was coupled with CFD-Thermal FE simulations, thanks to increased availability of HPC. The first control factors selected were related to the thermal capacity of the panel duct, dashboard, interior door panels and seats. Surface IR emissivity and solar radiation absorptivity of these components were then added to the study. Car glass with absorptive and reflective glazing were finally included in the study. The design space of 18 vehicle configurations was simulated in spring and hot summer conditions, with steady state thermal simulations. A 2-step optimization was then conducted, trying first to increase the robustness of the cabin response and, secondly, to reduce the equivalent temperature actually felt by passengers. The <i>Verify</i> phase was then conducted on the <i>Best Engineering</i> design emerged by the 2-step optimization, through quasi-transient CFD-Thermal FE analyses. The thermal results were then sent to a CFD 1D energy prediction model, confirming the HV battery energy saving and the extended range reached during the cool down drive cycle.</div></div>

Multislice image simulations of sheared needle-like precipitates in an Al-Mg-Si alloy.

The image contrast of sheared needle-like precipitates in the Al-Mg-Si alloy system is investigated with respect to shear-plane positions, the number of shear-planes, and the active matrix slip systems through multislice transmission electron microscopy image simulations and the frozen phonon approximation. It is found that annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (ADF STEM) images are mostly affected by shear-planes within a distance ∼6-18 unit cells from the specimen surface, whereas about 5-10 equidistant shear-planes are required to produce clear differences in HRTEM images. The contrast of the images is affected by the Burgers vector of the slip, but not the slip plane. The simulation results are discussed and compared to experimental data. LAY DESCRIPTION: Pure aluminium is too soft to be viable in most structural applications, but this may be remedied by alloying the metal with various elements. Adding small amounts of silicon and magnesium to pure aluminium allows small particles to precipitate during heat treatment. These precipitates resist plastic deformation and can increase the strength of the alloy and make it viable for a range of industrial applications, such as automotive door panels and load-bearing profiles. However, if subjected to large loads, the precipitates are sheared and the strength of the alloy changes dynamically. Designing safe products such as cars or buildings require physically based predictions on this dynamical change. Developing models that can provide such predictions depend in turn on experimental observations of the shearing process. Because the precipitates are nm long, experimental observations must be done by transmission electron microscopy. However, understanding these results sometimes require computer simulations of atomic models. In this work, we have performed image simulations of various models of sheared precipitates and compared the results with earlier experiments. The simulations indicate that certain conditions must be met for the sheared precipitates to appear different from unsheared precipitates. These conditions are most likely to be met if precipitates are sheared several times in a relatively homogeneous manner. This is important for two reasons. First, a localized shearing process would lead to large dynamical changes in precipitate strength during deformation, and in turn drastically reduce the work hardening of the alloy. Secondly, a localized shearing process would have promoted earlier fracture and failure of the alloy during deformation. Finally, our results also show how different slip directions influences the images of precipitates. In the future, these influences can be used to further understand the shearing process of these precipitates. Hence, our results can be used to improve model predictions of strength, work hardening, and fracture. In turn, this may improve alloy design and reduce the use of prototype testing in, e.g. the automotiveindustry.

Injury metrics are altered in spica-casted versus non-casted child ATDs in side-impact collisions with door intrusion

Objective: There is little data defining safe transport protocols for spica-casted children. A single earlier study demonstrated the presence of a body cast alters kinematics and injury metrics during simulated side-impact crashes. Since then, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed a new side-impact test protocol for evaluating child restraints. This test is more severe than the earlier tests, as it simulates an impact with a door intruding into the occupant space. As no currently available child restraint system (CRS) able to accommodate a spica-casted child has been evaluated using these updated testing criteria, the objective of this study was to evaluate current restraint options in simulated side-impact collisions using an anthropomorphic test device (ATD) modeled after a 3-year-old.Methods: Four commercially available CRSs able to accommodate a spica-casted Q3s side-impact ATD were selected for testing. Side-impact testing was performed using casted and uncasted ATDs in compliance with the NHTSA proposed side-impact test. High-speed photography and ATD instrumentation were used to measure selected injury criteria.Results: HIC15 values were highest in CRSs with less robust side wings, such as the Merritt WallenburgTM (HIC15 = 1,373), which allow for the occupant to interact with the intruding door panel. Head contact with the door panel was found to correspond with high resultant neck peak force. Pelvic acceleration magnitudes were greatest for the uncasted tests. Casted tests with a CRS that included an armrest were associated with greater torso rotation in the frontal plane with the left shoulder moving toward the door panel.Conclusions: The presence of a spica cast alters injury metrics in side-impact testing. Spica specific child safety seats are not yet optimized for side-impact with door intrusion. This is due to a lack of adequate side cushion wings, which may place both casted and uncasted occupants at increased likelihood for injury through head contact with an intruding door. Additional work is needed to improve the safety of CRSs for both casted and uncasted children in side-impact collisions.

Investigation and Fabrication of Thermo-mechanical Properties of Ceiba Pentandra Bark Fiber/Poly (Vinyl) Alcohol Composites for Automobile Dash Board and Door Panel Applications

ABSTRACT In the present study, Ceiba pentandra bark (CP) fibers, owing to their low weight-to-high strength ratio and recyclable features have been selected as reinforcement in thermoplastic polymer. i.e., poly (vinyl) alcohol (PVA) for fabrication of composites to find its application in automobile dash board and door panel. The bark fibers were chemically modified with NaOH to enhance its bonding property with hydrophobic polymer. The mechanical properties increases at the early stage with the increase in fiber content till optimum (20 wt% of fiber) fiber loading following that it declines. The mechanical properties obtained at optimum fiber loading are 98.49 MPa of flexural strength, 32.01 kJ/m2 of impact strength, 85.92 MPa of tensile strength and 98.49 MPa of flexural strength. The composites were further characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis, and scanning electron microscopy for analysis. The thermal stability of the composites increased as compared to neat PVA matrix which was concluded by TGA. 20 wt% fiber content composites were found to be highly suitable for making dash board and door panels by automotive industries as it reveals better mechanical as well as thermal properties compared with other fabricated composites.

Mechanical and thermal behavior of cellulose nanocrystals-incorporated Acrodur® sustainable hybrid composites for automotive applications

Utilization of cellulose nanocrystals as an additive in the formulation of biocomposites made with Acrodur® resin is presented. Natural fibers/polyethylene terephthalate mats were impregnated with Acrodur® and hot-pressed into the final thickness of 3 mm after drying. Biocomposites with 2 wt.% and 5 wt.% cellulose nanocrystal (dry-basis) were also produced. The produced biocomposite panels were then tested to determine the flexural strength, flexural modulus and Izod impact strength. The results revealed that adding cellulose nanocrystal to the composite formulation increased flexural modulus significantly up to 970 MPa (17.5% increase) at a panel density of 0.5 g/cm3, while it did not significantly affect flexural strength values. A slight reduction was observed in the impact strength of the samples by adding cellulose nanocrystal. The fractured samples of impact test were observed under a scanning electron microscope. It was shown that in all cases, the fracture happened due to the failure of the fibrous system and in particular natural fibers. Thermal stability of the composites was also investigated using thermo-gravimetric analysis. It was found that adding cellulose nanocrystal slightly reduced the thermal stability of the biocomposites. Potential compatibility of cellulose nanocrystal particles with Acrodur® resin is promising and the improvement in flexural modulus can lead to the design of lighter parts for automotive applications such as door panels, headliners, and underbody shields.

A thorough Six Sigma DMAIC application for household appliance manufacturing systems

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze door-panel alignment defects seen in built-in ovens manufactured in one household appliances company's plant. Alignment defects in oven door panel substantially affect aesthetics of the product which is an important aspect in driving customer preference and satisfaction. Therefore, this study aimed to increase the initial 3.1 sigma level of oven-manufacturing process to at least 4 sigma level by decreasing a particular door-panel alignment defect, which constituted 67.7 percent of the overall alignment defects.Design/methodology/approachThe goals were achieved through a structured Six Sigma implementation with lean element by utilizing various Six Sigma tools such as workflow, Pareto-analysis, measurement system analyses, control-charts, process capability analysis, cause-and effect-diagram and hypotheses tests. A non–value-added step was also eliminated through the lean approach.FindingsThrough Six Sigma implementation, the initial 3.1 sigma process performance level has been increased to 4.4 sigma level leading to substantial decrease in alignment defects.Originality/valueIn the quality management literature, not many papers directly deal with aesthetics and appearance problems of the products especially in the household appliances industry. Moreover, hypothesis testing is not frequently used in Six Sigma implementations in the literature. In addition to limited usage of hypothesis testing, very few studies conducted a thorough measurement system analysis. Considering these gaps in the Six Sigma literature, this study fills an important gap in research by implementing a detailed Six Sigma study, enhanced with hypothesis testing and a thorough measurement system analysis, on the aesthetics and appearance of the product.

Aesthetic improvement of sheet molding compound (SMC) composite plate by using natural fiber reinforced polymer (NFRP) like jute fiber reinforced epoxy matrix composite coating

In current scenario, the use of composite materials in our lives has become very common and these are found in our furniture, transportation, education, sports, building and infrastructural system. Compared with conventional materials such as metal, plastics and woods, composite materials offer specific strength, specific stiffness and tailored material properties. Composites mainly classified as metal matrix, ceramic matrix and polymer matrix composites. Polymer matrix composites are used for low temperature applications such as automotive body panels, crashworthiness, bumpers etc. Mainly carbon, glass and aramid fibers are used as reinforcement for these applications. Nowadays, natural fibers such as flax, jute, coir, cotton etc. are also used for decorative and semi structural applications in automotive and furniture industry. Polymer matrix composites are mass produced by use of sheet molding compound (SMC) compression molding technology. SMC technology has been used in manufacturing automobile parts, electrical insulation cover applications, partition panels and many semi structural applications etc. The current trend of improving the surface appearance and mechanical properties of SMC’s can lead to even more applications such as exterior, structural parts and also decorative parts in automobile, furniture and other domestic applications. Automotive interior dashboard parts, door panel parts and other interiors need to be aesthetically appealing so that it feels pleasant to seat in the car. In this work, hand lay-up process is used for coating onto the SMC compression molded plate with jute fiber reinforced epoxy composite. Uncoated and coated SMC plates are compared by various characterization methods such as tensile, compression, hardness and surface roughness. Also visual appearance and gloss test were performed. Coated SMC plate has improved tensile strength, surface finish, gloss value and visual appearance. There is almost same compression strength and Rockwell hardness value obtained.

Effect of Jute Fibre Orientation and Percentage on Strength of Jute Fibre Reinforced Concrete

The demerits of plain concrete are its lesser tensile strength, not significant ductility and poor resistance to cracking. Due to propagation of internal micro cracks in plain concrete causes decrease in tensile strength, hence leads concrete to brittle fracture. Addition of fibres behaves like crack arrester and enhances the dynamic properties of concrete. In India natural fibres such as bamboo, coir, jute, sisal, pineapple, banana, ramie etc are high available. Jute is a useful natural fibre for concrete reinforcement due to its easy availability and low cost. In this research, the experiments related to Jute fibre reinforced concrete (JFRC) are done by taking different fibre percentage and the compressive strength and modulus of rapture value observed. This JFRC can replace plain concrete and wood in many cases for example in door and window panels, inclined roof slabs, partition walls etc

Structural Modal Analysis and Optimization of SUV Door Based on Response Surface Method

Sensitivity analysis and response surface methods were employed to optimize the structural modal of SUV doors. A finite element numerical simulation model was established and was calibrated by restraint modal tests. To screen out highly sensitive panels, a sensitivity analysis for the thickness of door panels was proposed based on the fifth-order modal frequency of the door. Data points were obtained by a faced central composite design with the design variables from the thickness of the highly sensitive panels, and a second-order explicit response surface function of the fifth-order modal frequency of the vehicle door was established. An optimization model was established according to the response surface method. The final results demonstrate that the modal-frequency matching of the door and body in white was optimized after changing the thicknesses, with a 5.74% material reduction.

Hélène Vacher, Valérie Balthazard and Karine Thilleul (eds.), “Des maisons métalliques pour l’Afrique. La maison tropicale de Jean Prouvé”

On June 5, 2007, Jean Prouve’s maison tropicale was sold at Christie’s in New York for 4.96 million US dollars. This staggering amount corresponds to Prouve’s status and the exceptional character of this “designer object.” The collector who seeks to stand out can no longer settle for a piece of furniture or a door panel; only an iconic, unique object, with an exotic edge, will attract notice. The added value of the tropical house indeed lies in the “synergie mechanique de l’ensemble” (Graf, p...

Grain size effect on tensile and flexural strength of particulate composites reinforced with Acropora waste

Abstract The engineering materials for the construction of cars, ships, planes and other are still dominated by metal materials. However, in recent years the use of metal has begun to decrease and replaced by non-metallic materials such as ceramic and composites. The advantages of ceramic and composite materials compared to metals are good mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and lower density. Recently the use of composites tends to change from synthetic fiber composites to natural fiber composites because the composite waste of natural fibers is easily decomposed after unused. In this study, the fibers used as a reinforcement of composites were replaced by particulate of Acropora waste. The aims of this study were to obtain baseline data for further development of applied research, in particular, the mechanical properties of composites that will be used as materials for automotive components, such as door panels, dashboards, and seat backs. This study used unsaturated polyester as the matrix, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide as a hardener, with the fibers from the waste of Acropora reefs. The composites were produced by press hand lay-up techniques, with the variation of particulate grain size of 40, 100, and 200 mesh, meanwhile the particulate weight fraction was kept 30% (w/w). The results showed that maximum tensile strength about 23 MPa reached at particulate grain size 100 mesh. Maximum flexural strength around 89 MPa occurred at particulate grain size 40 mesh

An empirical research on areca fiber polymer composite for automotive components in modern industry

Recently the development of natural fiber composites instead of synthetic fiber has led to eco-friendly product manufacturing to meet various applications in the field of automotive, aerospace, construction and manufacturing. The use of natural fibers offers an alternative to the synthetic reinforcing fibers because of their good mechanical properties, low density, renewability, and biodegradability. Different natural fibers are generally utilized as reinforcement in thermoplastic polypropylene (PP) matrix to prepare composites. In this paper, experimental investigation of natural fiber i.e., Areca fiber reinforced with polypropylene polymer matrix is done to analyze the Mechanical and Thermal properties of polymer composite. The modification of composite is done by using Maleic Anhydride (MA) during preparation of composite material. Different fractions of composites with 5 wt%, 10 wt% and 15 wt% fiber content were prepared in twin extruder and 3 wt% of Maleic anhydride was added during the mixing process. Mechanical and Thermal properties such as Tensile strength, Bending strength, Elongation at break, Water absorption capacity, Heat Distortion Temperature (HDT) of areca fiber and PP composites were investigated. The above composite polymers are used in manufacturing the components of automobiles such as passenger car interiors, indicator cover, door panels, door pockets, rear view mirror covers.