Maximum Impact Strength Research Articles

Experimental investigation on mechanical performance and drilling behavior of hybrid polymer composites through statistical and machine learning approach

The current study focuses on fabricating partially biodegradable composites added with nettle and grewia optiva fibers in epoxy. The mechanical properties of various fiber reinforcement combinations, such as tensile, impact, and flexural strength were evaluated. One of the main issues when drilling natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites is delamination damage. Therefore, the drilling ability of the hybrid composites was investigated by various drilling operation conditions: drill diameter (4, 6, 8 mm), feed rate (0.125, 0.212, 0.3 mm/rev) and spindle speed (400, 600, 800 rev/min). The experimental investigation was carried out using a twist drill at dry and ambient temperatures. The response surface methodology (RSM) was adopted during the investigation and the contribution of feed rate (65.31%) was found as the dominant factor, followed by spindle speed (35.83%) and drill diameter (10.72%) to influence the delamination factor of hybrid composites. The grey relation analysis was further applied to the experimental results to rank the experiments. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the fractured surface of tested samples and delamination damage caused by drilling operations. The developed composites offered a maximum tensile strength (34.3 MPa), impact strength (11.13 J) and flexural strength (23.91 MPa) observed in the hybrid composites for a reinforcement combination of 5% nettle and 15% grewia optiva fibers. The prediction models developed by RSM and artificial neural network (ANN) were matched with the investigated results and ANN was noticed to be more accurate than the RSM. The research work will be beneficial for the industries involved in the development of structural panels reinforced with nettle and grewia optiva fibers.

Evaluation of mechanical properties of hybridised coir-carbon-basalt reinforced epoxy composites

ABSTRACT The present work focuses on the evaluation of the mechanical properties of epoxy composites reinforced with coir/carbon/basalt fibres. Reinforcements were used in as-received condition without any surface modifications. Composites were subjected to tensile, flexural and impact tests as per ASTM standards. Water absorption analysis was performed on the prepared composites using normal, salt and distilled water. The highest void fraction of 0.57% was obtained for the composite reinforced with carbon and basalt fibres. Highest tensile strength and modulus of 280 and 2500 MPa were achieved for composites reinforced only with carbon fibres. Hybrid composites fabricated using carbon fibres as outer layers and basalt as inner layers exhibited the highest flexural strength of 55 MPa. Composites reinforced only with basalt fibres displayed maximum impact strength of 22.64 kJ/m2 among the tested laminates. Inclusion of coir fibres significantly reduces tensile strength and modulus by 92.86% and 90%; flexural strength and modulus by 90.91% and 82%; impact strength by 71.74%, respectively. Composites reinforced only with basalt fibres absorbed more water than other combinations under all testing conditions. Scanning electron micrographs showed better interfacial bonding between synthetic fibres and the matrix as compared to natural fibre-reinforced composites.

Synchronously improved toughness and dielectric properties of cyanate ester resins via modification with biobased poly(N‐phenylmaleimide‐co‐limonene)

AbstractHigh‐performance cyanate ester (CE) resins have attracted intensive interests due to low‐k and heat resistant properties. However, the extreme high curing temperature and inherent brittleness severely limit their practical application. Herein, novel biobased poly(N‐phenylmaleimide‐co‐limonene) (PML) microspheres were specially designed and synthesized by self‐stabilized precipitation polymerization, which could simultaneously serve as effective curing agents and toughening modifiers for 2,2‐bis(4‐cyanatophenyl) propane (BADCy). The high density of unreacted endocyclic vinyl groups in PML could effectively react with BADCy, leading to lower curing temperature and good interfacial compatibility. Benefitting from both the weakly polarizable flexible chains and the highly crosslinked semi‐interpenetrating network formed during the curing process, BADCy/PML resins exhibited highly enhanced toughness and reduced dielectric constant (ε). Specifically, the BADCy/PML resins showed minimum values of ε and dielectric loss of 2.61 and 0.0032 at 106 Hz, much lower than BADCy resins (2.88, 0.0052). More importantly, a maximum impact strength of 15.6 kJ/m2 was achieved at 10 wt% loading of PML, which was 86% higher than BADCy resin. In summary, this work developed a novel strategy to simultaneously improve toughness and dielectric properties of CE resins using bio‐based PML copolymer, which have great potential in the fields of electronics and information technology.

Experimental Investigation of Effects of Manganese IV Oxide on the Mechanical Properties of Aluminium Alloy.

Aluminium and its alloys have proven to be highly valuable for a variety of technical applications due to its superior strength-to-weight ratio and exceptional corrosion resistance. As a result, there are numerous financial and environmental advantages to recycling it. The goal of this work is to significantly expand the engineering uses of recycled aluminium alloy by improving its mechanical characteristics by treatment with of MnO2. 30 kg of recyclable scrap aluminium alloy was initially acquired for the investigation in the form of ingots. Then, 5 kg of each was re-melted in three distinct samples. The first sample was re-melted and then left to cool naturally without any further intervention. 24g of dark powder from a dry cell thrown away was applied to the second sample, and 24g of MnO2 was applied to the third. Every sample underwent standard cooling procedures. The samples were then subjected to impact, tensile, and hardness testing by ASTM E8M-91 standard test protocols. The three samples were also subjected to XRD analysis. The sample treated with MnO2 had the highest hardness value, measuring 124 HV; the sample treated with powder from a discarded battery came in second, with 108.33 HV. With 99.30 HV, the control sample had the lowest value. The control sample had the highest UTS value of 92.74 MPa, the MnO2-treated sample had a UTS value of 68.23 MPa, and the sample treated with discarded battery powder had the lowest UTS value of 30.71 MPa. The control sample had the maximum impact strength value of 12.20 Joules, the discarded battery powder treated sample had an impact strength value of 11.96 Joules, and the MnO2-treated sample had an impact strength value of 11.32 Joules. The results of the study show that the recycled aluminium alloy becomes harder when MnO2 is added. Nevertheless, the inclusion of MnO2 shows a notable decline in the UTS of recycled aluminium alloy as well as a minor decrease in its impact strength.

Super-tough poly(lactic acid)/silicone rubber thermoplastic vulcanizates: The organic and inorganic synergistic interfacial compatibilization

Polymer modification using silicone rubber represents a promising avenue for enhancing physico-mechanical properties. However, achieving optimal performance through direct blending is hindered by the poor interface compatibility between silicone rubber and the matrix. In this study, we prepared super-tough thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) of polylactic acid/silicone rubber through dynamic vulcanization with PLA, methyl vinyl silicone rubber (MVQ), glycidyl methacrylate grafted MVQ (MVQ-g-GMA), and fumed silica nanoparticles (SiO2). The impact of the SiO2 addition in MVQ on the morphology, mechanical properties, crystallization, and thermal properties of the TPVs was investigated. The results showed that MVQ-g-GMA and SiO2 exhibited a synergistic compatibilization effect significantly improving the interfacial adhesion between PLA and MVQ. Therefore, the impact and tensile strength of the TPVs increased from 8.0 kJ/m2 and 22.2 MPa to 62.6 kJ/m2 and 36.7 MPa, respectively. Moreover, the TPVs also presented good low-temperature toughness with a maximum impact strength of 40.4 kJ/m2 at −20 °C. Additionally, improvements in thermal stability and crystallization rate were also observed. Overall, combining organic and inorganic synergistic compatibilization is a feasible and effective method to fabricate outstanding low-temperature toughness to PLA.

Effects of fiber type, content, orientation, and surface treatments on the mechanical properties of PAFRP composite

In present scenario, natural fibers are the preferred choice of manufactures to fabricate the sustainable polymer matrix composites. These composites may be a good substitute for synthetic materials after achieving the comparable strength with some treatments. Pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) contains high cellulose with low micro fibrillar angle which leads to decent inherent fiber strength. It is used for reinforcement in the proposed work to fabricate the epoxy matrix composite using hand layup method. During testing of composite, the effects of fiber content, type, and orientations on mechanical properties have been examined. Samples were prepared by varying the fiber type (short and long fiber), fiber orientations (at 0°, 90°, and 45°) and fiber contents by weight % (i.e., 5, 10, 15 and 25). The results of mechanical characterization reveal that the tensile and flexural strength for short fiber composite is found maximum at 25% of fiber content (20.85 MPa and 42.70 MPa, respectively). However, long fiber reinforced composite with 5% of fiber content exhibits maximum tensile and flexural strength as: 35.72 MPa and 56.19 MPa. The maximum flexural strength and impact strength of composite were found as 52.98 MPa and 25.30 J m−2, respectively when the fibers are oriented at 0°. The maximum values of water absorption in composite were found as: 1.74% for short fiber and 1.25% for long fiber reinforced composites. The Fourier transform infrared radiation (FTIR) spectroscopy confirms the removal of non-cellulose contents within the composite. Finally, the morphological analysis was carried out to find the debonding, splitting and pull-out of fibers within the composites which are the major reasons of composite failure.

Effect of glass fiber and nylon fiber reinforcement on the mechanical and thermal properties of styrene butadiene rubber mixed PMMA denture base material

ObjectivesThe present investigation is aimed at evaluating the effect of styrene butadiene rubber, glass fibre, nylon fibre and hybrid reinforcement of glass and nylon fibre with 0.5 and 1.0 wt% on the impact, flexural, and compressive properties. MethodsA total of 19 groups were formed, including one control group and 18 study groups. All specimens were fabricated according to the standards and tests were performed. The enhancement of strengths were characterised by using scanning electron micrographs, FTIR results, XRD, and DMA tests. The degradability was studied using TGA/DTA analysis. The results were analysed using one-way ANOVA and Dunnett’s post hoc multiple comparison test at p ≤ 0.05. ResultsThe maximum impact, flexural, and compressive strength were found to be 3.234 ± 0.202 kJ/m2, 70.07 ± 0.7 MPa, and 84.929 ± 0.85 MPa for hybrid reinforcement of 0.5 wt% nylon fiber and 0.5 wt% glass fiber with 1.0 wt% of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) mixed PMMA denture base material. Statistical analysis shows that the maximum mean impact strength, flexural strength, and compressive strength are about 84%, 58%, and 67% higher than the pure PMMA (control group). The maximum flexural modulus and compressive modulus are 914.4 MPa and 407.847 MPa for denture base material made of 1.0 wt% SBR, 1.0 wt% nylon fiber, 0.5 wt% glass fiber, and 0.5 wt% SBR, 0.5 wt% nylon fiber, respectively. The storage moduli of 1.0 wt% SBR, 1.0 wt% nylon fiber, and 0.5 wt% glass fiber-reinforced denture base material and pure PMMA are 0.096 and 0.422 at 79 °C, respectively, which indicates significant crosslinking of fiber and PMMA. The failure surfaces are characterized by a homogeneous distribution of fiber with increased surface roughness and fiber pullout, strong bonding, and well-dispersed SBR.

Ultra‐fast curing of benzoxazine with surface modified fly ash‐assisted microwave: Achieving excellent comprehensive performances

AbstractBenzoxazine has aroused a lot of research interest because of its high mechanical performance and excellent thermal stability in polybenzoxazines. However, it suffers from its high curing temperature and long curing time, which necessitate resolution. This study addresses this issue by employing a surface‐modified fly ash‐assisted microwave curing method to achieve ultra‐fast benzoxazine curing within 15 min. The impact strength of the resulting cured product displayed an increasing‐then‐decreasing trend with the addition of fly ash, reaching a maximum impact strength of 18.71 ± 1.20 kJ/m2 at a 3% fly ash content. This value is 113.3% higher than the impact strength of pure PBA‐a. Additionally, when using the same amount of fly ash, the microwave‐cured product exhibited a flexural strength of up to 135.9 MPa and a flexural modulus of up to 6.71 GPa, surpassing those of pure PBA‐a by 28.7% and 33.1%, respectively. Moreover, the glass transition temperature (Tg) increased by 19.56°C. Furthermore, there was a slight improvement in flexural strength compared to the heat‐cured product, and no significant loss in thermal properties was observed. The method demonstrated in this study presents a novel approach for the rapid molding and preparation of benzoxazine in composites.

Investigation of mechanical characteristics of coir fibre/hexagonal boron nitride reinforced polymer composite

Coir fibre, derived from the husk of coconuts, is a natural resource and they are biodegradable and renewable. By incorporating them, any product can become more lightweight and durable, meeting the global desire for eco-friendly and efficient designs. This study has the potential to significantly alter the design of components such as switches and enclosures and it has an international research impact on engineering applications. Coir fibres and Hexagonal-Boron Nitride (h-BN) possess superior mechanical, thermal and physical qualities when reinforced with polymers. Hence novel study is carried out to examinecoir fibre/h-BN reinforcement in epoxy polymer composites. Response Surface Methodology via Box-Behnken Design (BBD) is utilized to investigate the mechanical properties such as Tensile Strength, Impact Strength and Young’s Modulus of coir fibre/h-BN reinforced epoxy polymer composite. The effect of input parameters onresponse is evaluated through regression equation and analysis of variance by using statistical Minitab software. The response optimization represents the maximum Young’s modulus (1597 MPa) by combining coir fibre (5 wt%), Coir fibre powder size (75 μm) and h-BN (1 wt%). The response optimization portrays the maximum Ultimate Tensile strength(36.83 MPa) by combining coir fibre (1 wt%), coir fibre powder size (220 μm) and h-BN (3.78 wt%). The response optimization reveals the maximum Impact strength (98.35 J m−2) by combining coir fibre (5 wt%), coir fibre powder size (225 μm) and h-BN(1 wt%). This work emphasises the use of composite materials that are environmental friendly in a variety of industries such as automotive, electrical, etc.

Process‐property relationship in polylactic acid composites reinforced by iron microparticles and 3D printed by fused filament fabrication

AbstractPolylactic acid (PLA) is the most widely used material in the fused filament fabrication (FFF) technique, which is a biocompatible thermoplastic. However, PLA's usefulness is limited by its narrow processing window and relatively low mechanical properties. Therefore, PLA composites have been developed to enhance its properties for FFF printing. A key challenge in producing composite parts via this method is to find the correlation between the mechanical properties of the parts and the process parameters. This knowledge is essential for optimizing the printing process to achieve the desired mechanical properties for composite parts industries such as aerospace, automotive, and medical, where high‐performance composite materials are crucial. The ability to control and predict the mechanical properties of FFF‐printed composite parts is critical for their successful integration into these industries. In this study, the effect of nozzle temperature (NT), printing speed (PS), and nominal porosity (POR) on the impact strength and specific impact strength of PLA/iron composites was examined using FFF. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the experimental design. The results revealed that POR had the most significant effect on the impact resistance data, while NT had the least effect. Reducing the POR led to improved impact resistance in the samples. Multi‐objective optimization results showed that the lowest NT (190°C), the lowest POR (30%), and a PS of 50 mm/s were the optimal conditions for multiple objectives. RSM was also utilized to develop mathematical models of impact properties, focusing on varying NT, POR, and PS, which can be used to predict desired impact properties.Highlights Nominal porosity has the most influence on the impact strength of PLA/iron composites. Optimum values were temperature of 190°C, nominal porosity of 30%, and speed of 50 mm/s. RSM was effective in enhancing the mechanical properties of composite materials. RSM models provide a predictive tool for future FFF‐printed composite parts. Maximum impact strength of 4.44 kJ/m2 was achieved.

Identifying regularities of the structure and properties of 13ХFА pipe steel smelted on different charges in electric arc furnace

The problem of increasing the efficiency of 13ХFА pipe steel for oil and gas wells by using selective selection of charges for smelting them in an electric arc furnace is considered. 4 batches of different chemical heterogeneity were studied. It was found that melt 1 from a purer charge 1 contains a smaller amount of harmful impurities in the form of surface-active substances (surfactants), which affect grain growth when samples are heated for quenching. Thus, melts 1 and 2, containing a smaller amount of surfactants in the charge, have a greater tendency to austenite grain growth and lower hardenability compared to melts 3 and 4, the charge of which is relatively heavily contaminated with surfactants. This is due to the low relatively free energy of melts 3 and 4. The study showed that at a relatively low tempering temperature (300 °С) there was an insignificant change in the mechanical properties of the samples (Rm, KC, etc.). Hydrogenation of steels significantly reduces the strength of steels from all melts, however, an increase in tempering time leads to an increase in long-term strength. In this case, the maximum impact strength (KC) of all melts is observed after normalization, but samples from melt 1 have a higher IC. When the samples were held (570 °С), the near-boundary layers of steel grains were enriched with P, Sb, Sn, As, leading to embrittlement and weakening of intergrain cohesion and a decrease in the energy of boundaries. In the process of testing at –80 °С, cracks along the grain boundaries are visible on the fractures of the samples after brittle tempering. By increasing the purity of metal waste for smelting pipe steel, it is possible to improve the complex of its properties, and hence the durability of seamless pipes for the oil and gas industry produced from it.

Study on properties of recycled mixed polyester/nylon/spandex modified by hydrogenated petroleum resin

Abstract In order to improve the utilization value of recycled materials, the study considers recycled materials such as polyester/nylon/spandex as raw materials. Using polyester/polyamide/spandex as raw materials, the recycled polyester/polyamide/spandex mixed materials were first pretreated to obtain the pretreated mixed materials. Then, the pretreated mixed materials were evenly mixed with hydrogenated petroleum resin. The composite materials were prepared through extrusion and injection molding. By comparing the mechanical properties, the effects of different hydrogenated petroleum resins and their additives on the tensile strength, bending strength, impact strength, elongation at break, and bending modulus of the composites were investigated. And the microstructure of the fracture surface was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that: (a) when the addition amount of hydrogenated C5 petroleum resin was 4.5%, the maximum impact strength and fracture elongation were 18.03 kJ/m2 and 15.92%, respectively. (b) The maximum tensile strength, bending strength, and bending modulus could reach 22.9, 38.72, and 2217.9 MPa, when the addition amount of hydrogenated C9 petroleum resin was 4.5, 29.5, and 39.5%, respectively.

Effect of red mud on mechanical and thermal properties of agave sisalana/glass fiber–reinforced hybrid composites

Abstract The mechanical, thermal, and morphological analysis of red mud filled sisal/glass fiber–reinforced polyester composites have been investigated. In this study, four composite specimens were prepared through hand layup technique by changing the weight percentage of sisal fiber and red mud. Weight percentage of glass fiber and polyester resin are kept constant. The fabricated composite specimens were subjected to mechanical properties such as hardness, impact and tensile behavior, thermal, and morphological analysis. From the results, it is observed that, maximum tensile strength of 45.6 MPa was obtained for C1 specimen. Maximum hardness and impact strength of 85.67 and 391.5 J m−1 was achieved for C2 specimen. In TGA study, C1 and C2 specimen exhibited 85 % of weight loss with the temperature ranges from 300 °C to 400 °C. From SEM analysis, good bonding between fiber and matrix, voids, fiber breakages, fiber pullout, delamination, rich matrix area, poor adhesion between fiber and matrix, poor arrangement of fibers, interlinked fibers, and crack propagation were observed. Based on the results, C2 specimen which contains 30 wt% of sisal fiber and 5 wt% of red mud is performed well than other composites and it is suitable for various applications such as marine, automobile, and aeronautical.

A comparative study on the effect of reinforcing boron nitride/alumina in epoxy-based hybrid composite with Millettia pinnata leaf powder and glass sheets: Experimental fabrication, mechanical and micro-structural characterization

The present study focuses on the fabrication and characterization of an innovative epoxy-based hybrid composite, designed to enhance its mechanical properties by incorporating three distinct reinforcing agents that are Millettia pinnata leaf powder, alumina/boron nitride particles, and glass sheets. This hybrid composite aims to combine the individual strengths of alumina/boron nitride particles reinforcements, ultimately achieving a superior material with enhanced mechanical strength. The selection of these reinforcements was based on their unique properties, such as biodegradability and eco-friendliness of Millettia pinnata leaf powder, high strength-to-weight ratio of alumina/boron nitride, and excellent mechanical properties of glass sheets. The optimized weight fraction of each reinforcement was determined through a series of experimental trials to maximize the composite's performance. The characterized thermo-mechanical properties included tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength, and hardness. Additionally, microstructural analysis was performed using the scanning electron microscopy to examine the interfacial bonding between the matrix and reinforcements, offering insights into the composite's overall integrity. The findings revealed that the incorporation of Millettia pinnata leaf powder, alumina/boron nitride, and glass sheets led to significant improvements in the mechanical properties of this hybrid composite. The composite exhibited enhanced tensile and flexural strength, resulting from the reinforcing effects of alumina and glass sheets. Comparatively, the mechanical properties of boron nitride composites tend to be higher than that of the alumina composites. Maximum tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength and hardness for the boron nitride composites are 312.21 MPa, 19.53 MPa, 53.68 kJ/m2 and 103.25 HRL, respectively at composition of 6 grams of boron nitride and 6 grams of Millettia pinnata leaf powder; whereas, for the alumina composites these values are 211.84 MPa, 15.46 MPa, 44.12 kJ/m2 and 101.23 HRL at composition of 6 grams of alumina and 6 grams of Millettia pinnata leaf powder. The results reported in this study will be helpful in accelerating the industrial applications of epoxy-based hybrid composites.

Integrating machine learning and response surface methodology for analyzing anisotropic mechanical properties of biocomposites

ABSTRACT This study enhances the anisotropic mechanical properties of banana fiber-epoxy composites by optimizing fiber loading, orientation, and treatment using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). RSM suggests optimal values: fiber loading at 33 wt%, NaOH treatment at 6.8 wt%, and fiber orientation at 15 degrees. This material has exceptional mechanical characteristics, including a maximum tensile strength (TLS) of 31.72 MPa, a maximum flexural strength (FLS) of 42.86 MPa, and a maximum impact strength (IPS) of 38.56 kJm-2. ANN effectively predicts strengths with high R2 scores of 0.969, 0.984, and 0.954 for tensile, flexural, and impact strengths. Incorporating batch normalization and dropout layers enhances robustness. The study concludes that NaOH treatment and fiber orientation significantly impact the composite’s anisotropy.

Synthesis of a New Natural Fiber Composite Material Based on Human Hair and Coir Fibers

Human hair, with its high strength-to-weight ratio, can replace expensive materials like glass fibers in composite materials. We developed a novel natural fiber composite material by mixing human hair and coir fibers with polyester resin. To investigate its mechanical properties, the new material was tested for bending strength, impact strength, and water absorption. The specimen IL3, with human hair and coir in a 3:2 ratio, showed a maximum impact strength of 13.174 kJ/m2. The developed material was almost completely water resistant with a maximum water absorption of only 2.13% in the WCH1 specimen. Fiber content, not orientation, was determined with water resistance. The maximum flexural strength obtained was 36.270 MPa. Investigation results showed that relative volume percentage of fibrous materials, fiber orientation, and aspect ratio affected natural fiber composite properties. After repeated testing on specimens of different compositions and fiber orientations, the best specimens were identified for future usage. The substance is biodegradable and eco-friendly.

Effect of angle interlocking/plain weave compound fabric system on mechanical properties of aramid epoxy resin composites

Preform is one of the important factors affecting the mechanical properties of textile composites. To further reflect the influence of the preform structure on the mechanical properties of composite materials, the angle interlocking and plain weave structures are configured in a certain proportion to form a composite fabric with both structures. The results show that the compound fabric preform has a positive effect on the improvement of the mechanical properties of AERC. An increase in the proportion of angle interlocking organization configuration in the compound fabric system is beneficial to the increase in tensile strength of AERC. In this experiment, when the ratio of angle interlocking structure and plain weave structure in the compound fabric system is 3:1, the tensile strength of AERC increases significantly, which is 80.98% higher than that of AERC with angle interlocking preformed structure. When the preform is made of compound fabric, the bending properties of AERC are greatly improved, and the bending strength is also increased 1.20 times compared to the AERC with angle interlock structure as the preform. When the ratio of angle interlock weave and plain weave in the compound fabric system is 1:3, the bending strength of AERC increases 1.81 times the maximum. The proportion of two fabric structures in the compound fabric system has a significant impact on the impact properties of AERC. The increase in the proportion of plain weave in the compound fabric system is not conducive to the increase in impact strength of AERC, and the large proportion of corner interlock configuration is conducive to the increase in bending strength of AERC. When the ratio of angle interlocking structure to plain weave structure is 2:1, the AERC has the maximum impact strength of 33.14 KJ/m2, which is increased by 26.28%.

Investigation on mechanical behaviour of calcium carbonate and groundnut shell filler added cocos nucifera fiber reinforced polyester composites

Natural fiber-reinforced composites have become superior materials due to their potential to replace synthetic fibers, because of their low density, lightweight, low-cost biodegradability, and high specific strength. This study finds out the mechanical properties of coir fiber-reinforced polyester matrix composites with the addition of filler content. The composites were fabricated using a compression molding machine with a dimension of (300x300x3) mm. Totally 6 laminates were fabricated with variations in fiber and filler content. The fabricated composites were cut the different types of ASTM standards. The mechanical properties of the calcium carbonate and groundnut shell-filler added coconut fiber- reinforced polyester composites were studied. The maximum tensile, flexural, and impact strength was achieved by 29.6 MPa, 56.8 MPa, and 34.8 kJ/m2 respectively. The addition of fillers in composite increases the mechanical strength. Fractography studies were used to analyze the fracture behaviour in fiber-reinforced composites. Coir fiber-reinforced composite materials are applicable for low load-bearing applications

Investigation of mechanical properties of rattan and bamboo fiber reinforced vinyl ester composite material for automotive application

In scope of this research, manufacturing and mechanical characterization of rattan and bamboo fiber reinforced vinyl ester composite material were carried out. Bamboo and rattan fiber was extracted by using retting process followed by chemical treatment to enhance mechanical properties. The composite was manufactured using bidirectional fiber mat in vacuum bag molding and hand layup process. The weight fraction between reinforcement and matrix was 24% and 76% respectively. Three types of composites were manufactured; Bamboo Fiber Composite (BFC), Rattan Fiber Composite (RFC), and Rattan (12%) and Bamboo (12%) Fiber Composite (RBFC). Different mechanical behavior of the composite was investigated, such as tensile strength, flexural strength, hardness, and impact strength. The maximum flexural and impact strength was found for RBFC with 57.66 MPa and 44.49 kJ/m2, respectively. It was found that about 29% and 17% of flexural strength and 29% and 78% of impact strength was improved for RBFC than BFC and RFC respectively. Finally, fabricated composites mechanical characteristics were compared to the Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene or ABS plastic materials mechanical characteristics.

Kenaf Fiber and Hemp Fiber Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Filler-Reinforced Epoxy-Based Hybrid Composites for Biomedical Applications: Morphological and Mechanical Characterization

This study used a hybrid combination of kenaf and hemp fibers and the multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) reinforcements in the matrix phase to synthesize the composites. A kenaf/hemp fiber blend with MWCNTs in epoxy was used for the specific concentration. The procedure used three composite materials chosen from pilot trials. The ratio of MWCNT filler particles was altered up to the agglomeration limit based on initial trials. Two specimens (2 and 3) were supplemented with MWCNTs in a concentration range of 0.5 wt. % to 1 wt. %, with the fiber concentration being maintained in equilibrium with the epoxy resin, all of the materials were tested under the same conditions. The hybrid nanocomposite was characterized for its morphological and mechanical properties; the tensile properties were higher for 1% MWCNTs concentration (specimen 2), while the flexural properties were higher for 0.5% MWCNTs, with values of 43.24 MPa and 55.63 MPa, correspondingly. Once the MWCNT concentration was increased to 1 wt. %, the maximum impact strength was achieved (specimen 3). In the limits of the Shore-D scale, the kenaf fiber and hemp fiber matrix composite (specimen 1) gained a hardness index of 84. Scanning electron microscopy was carried out to analyze the morphological features of the fractured samples and to assess the adhesion between the fiber, matrix, and surface. Among the various fillers tested, the kenaf fiber/hemp/MWCNT composite (specimen 3) demonstrated superior binding and reduced the incidence of fiber pull-out, breakage, and voids. In addition to the comparative analysis, the addition of 0.5 wt. % MWCNTs resulted in better mechanical properties compared to the other two combinations.