Synthetic Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites Research Articles

Fabrication and Mechanical Testing of Glass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Matrix Composites Modified with Powdered Metallic Fillers

Composite materials made up of polymer matrix reinforced with synthetic fibers have gained popularity of late owing to their enhanced mechanical properties. However, very little work is reported to date on metals being used as filler material. Research gaps were obtained pertaining to the use of metallic fillers in synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composites. This paper demonstrates an attempt to fabricate composites made of Epoxy polymer matrix and E-glass fiber reinforcement with Mild Steel in its powdered form as fillers. Composites are prepared in varying weight percentages of the filler in the order of 2 wt. %, 4 wt. % and 6 wt. %. Hand layup method is employed for fabricating these composites which are later subjected to compression. Further, the samples are machined according to ASTM D3039 standard for tensile test and ASTM D256 standard for Izod impact test. Hardness test is also performed using a Shore D Durometer and these properties are compared with the unfilled samples. The results indicated that the weight percentage of the filler clearly influenced the mechanical properties of the developed composites. This study also revealed that the hardness and tensile strength of these composites improved with the incorporation of fillers up to 2 wt. % whereas, the impact strength improved up to 4 wt. %. Thereafter, there was a decline in their impact and tensile properties. However, hardness marginally increased beyond 4 wt. %. This area is open for research with regard to their usability under tribological, high temperature or magnetic conditions.

Bioepoxy based advanced lightweight hybrid composites from hemp fibers: Towards greener production

Over the past few decades, the widespread use of composite materials has become prominent, particularly following the industrial revolution. In response to environmental concerns, natural fiber polymer composites have found extensive applications, notably in the automotive industry and various versatile applications. However, pure natural fiber polymer composites face challenges in matching the performance of synthetic fiber-reinforced polymer composites. To address this issue, natural fibers are hybridized with synthetic fibers to enhance the performance characteristics. In this study, hemp fibers were hybridized with Innegra fibers through a stacking sequence and subjected to weathering. Both the weathered and unweathered composites underwent mechanical, thermal, and viscoelastic analysis to assess their performance under harsh environmental conditions. The mechanical analysis revealed that the tensile strength of the composite with Innegra as the skin layer was 76.56 MPa, reducing to 67.73 MPa after the weathering process. The flexural strength showed values of 111.01 MPa and 101.61 MPa before and after the weathering process, respectively. Thermomechanical analysis indicated that pure hemp composites exhibited lower thermal expansion at 1.45%, with the composite featuring hemp fibers in the outer layer performing better at 2.34% compared to hybrid composites. Additionally, SEM images demonstrated good interfacial adhesion between fibers and the matrix. Overall, the results suggest that the developed composites have the potential for use in lightweight semi structural applications.

Review on Properties of Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites: Effect of Gamma Radiation and Nano particles.

Materials comprised of a polymer matrix with natural fiber reinforcement are known as natural fiber reinforcement polymer composites (NFRCs). Scientists have recently become quite interested in these composite materials because they provide improved properties over conventional synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composites at a lower cost and with benefits to the environment. However, a number of factors, including gamma radiation exposure and the addition of nanoparticles, can impact the properties of NFRCs. This review will focus on the effects of gamma radiation and nanoparticles on the mechanical, thermal, and water-resistance properties of NFRCs. In order to help in the creation of new and improved NFRCs for diverse applications, this review seeks to provide a thorough understanding of the characteristics of NFRCs and how they might be impacted by gamma radiation and nanoparticles.

Effects of carbon-based nanofillers on mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of bast fiber reinforced polymer composites

Bast fiber-reinforced polymer composites (BFRPs) are grabbing considerable research attention due to their assertive impact on the environment and excellence in biodegradability. Though BFRPs have excellent ecological performance factors, they also lack in some cases, such as lower mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties, due to the significant moisture absorption, minimal thermal stability, and inherent nature of bast fibers. BFRPs exhibit weaker fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion as compared to synthetic fiber-reinforced polymer composites, resulting in lower mechanical properties. Nowadays, a wide variety of fiber and matrix modification techniques are practiced improving the fiber-matrix interaction, which ultimately improves the mechanical properties. Among the fiber and matrix modification techniques, nanofiller integration is the most promising one. This study reviews the impacts of introducing carbon-based nanofillers, particularly graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNT), in diversified BFRPs. The influence of carbon-based nanofillers on the mechanical, electrical, and thermal behavior of BFRPs and their potential prospects are comprehensively reviewed. The paper concludes with the challenges and difficulties in composite processing, along with the techniques for overcoming them.

Investigation on dry abrasion wear of natural and synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composites filled with stone waste

The fiber reinforced polymer composites filled with industrial stone waste was fabricated using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). The fabricated samples of composite plates were subjected to parametric studies of dry abrasion wear test. The control factors considered for parametric studies of were load, abrading velocity, percentage of stone waste and size of abrasive particles.The mean S/N ratios for dry abrasion wear were to be 4.71db, 6.48db and 7.98db for granite added jute, glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites. ANOVA analysis helps to identified the order of most influencing input operating parameters on output response dry abrasion wear and order of most significance input operating parameters in decreasing order abrasion load > Wheel rotation > Filler content > Abrasive size for granite added jute, glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites.

Influence of Drilling Parameters on the Delamination and Surface Roughness of Insulative-Coated Glass/Carbon-Hybrid Composite

Drilling in synthetic fiber-reinforced polymer composites is facing challenges due to their anisotropic, inhomogeneity, and abrasive machining behavior. The joining of composite parts using fasteners is commonly done by the drilling, and the generated heat is one of the main causes to damage the drilled hole in the composite. Moreover, the quality of drilled hole is crucial for joining parts effectively. The paper presents the design, fabrication, and drilling of a hybrid fiber-reinforced polymer (HFRP) based on insulative coating. These composites were fabricated using vacuum infusion molding (VIM) and coated with different thicknesses to investigate the influence of drilling parameters and associated damages. Cutting speed, feed rate, and coating thicknesses were varied, and a full factorial design of the experiment was formulated. High-speed steel (HSS) twist drill bit was used to drill the coated composite and test samples, and delamination factor and surface roughness were measured. ANOVA and full factorial response optimizer were used to evaluate the influence and optimum drilling parameters. The delamination factor (DF) at the entry and surface roughness were found to decrease with the increasing cutting speed. However, the DF at the exit showed the opposite. Coating thickness influenced the delamination at the entry whereas delamination at the exit has been found insignificant. For drilling HFRP composite with 1 mm coating thickness, 3000 RPM spindle speed and 0.08 mm/rev feed rate were found optimum parameters in minimizing surface roughness and delamination damage. However, 6000 RPM and 0.02 mm/rev were found optimum parameters for drilling HFRP composite with 1.5 mm coating thickness.

Ballistic studies on synthetic fibre reinforced polymer composites and it’s applications –A brief review

Recent developments in the defense sector have led to the creation of a new high-performance composite synthetic fiber with excellent energy accumulation, endurance strength, and specific strength. However, selecting the appropriate synthetic fiber, processing technique, optimal plate thickness, and layer sequence when creating synthetic composite plates for defense purposes has proven challenging. There are still gaps in the selection of materials such as the matrix and fiber, processing techniques, weight fraction, and stacking sequence necessary for achieving optimal aerial density and better ballistic strength in armor systems. This review article aims to summarize the different materials based on synthetic fibers used for developing high-performance defense materials. Additionally, incorporating filler particles into synthetic fiber-reinforced composite materials has been explored as a means of improving ballistic strength. The article also examines the impact of stacking sequences on ballistic strength and various numerical methods for determining composite ballistic strength. Finally, the study concludes by discussing the changing trends in the ballistic performance of materials created with a single fiber or a combination of two or more fibers (hybrid).

Fabrication and properties valuation of Natural fiber and filler-based hybrid-polymer composites

Because of biodegradability, low weight, non-da000nger, instability, decreased condition, contamination, little effort, and simplicity of recyclability, natural fibre polymer composites are now being utilized in place of synthetic fibre reinforced polymer composites. By altering the fibre and epoxy percentages, to find the effect of sisal fibre content on mechanical characteristics of composites is the objective of research. Melt-mixing was used to make the composite, which was then laid out by hand layup method. The purpose of this research is to look at fibre oriented reinforced composite polymer nano composite materials that mix with hybrid composites such as JUTE, SISAL/EGG SHELL, and epoxy polymer in the ratio of sisal fibre 70% + jute 20% + Egg shell 10% and sisal fibre 60% + jute 20% + Egg shell 20% by volume. The mechanical characteristics were calculated by performing tests on the specimen’s tension, hardness, and flexural qualities in line with ASTM standards.

Influence of the matrix type on the physical and mechanical parameters of the WPC

Natural fibers and biodegradable matrices are currently being considered as substitutes for synthetic fiber-reinforced polymer composites mainly in areas where high load-bearing capacity and high strength are not essential. This study compares a biodegradable wood-polymer composite (WPC) prepared by varying the weight of the base material PHB and a wood flour binder as reinforcement at a weight ratio of 50/50 and 60/40%, as well as a binder made of a high-density polyethylene with wood flour at identical ratios. The maximum flexural strength of 19.193 MPa was obtained using a 50/50 combination of PHB and wood flour. The maximum value of tensile strength was shown by composites of polyethylene with wood flour at a ratio of 60/40. The maximum values of impact strength were shown by composites with a lower filler content. The highest water absorption was shown by composites from the biodegradable PHB binder. Thus, the analysis of the results showed that not only the content of the filler, but also the matrix itself has the maximum effect on the strength characteristics.

Effect of milling parameters on the surface quality of a flax fiber-reinforced polymer composite

Flax fiber-reinforced polymer composites are an interesting alternative to synthetic fiber-reinforced polymer composites for many engineering applications. When machining flax fiber-reinforced composite materials that are by definition heterogeneous, the matrix and the fibers react differently and hence many sorts of damage may occur such as poor surface roughness, delamination, and fluffing. The novelty of the current work lies in identifying the major factors that affect the quality of the milled surface of composites reinforced with flax fibers and provides recommendations and collaborative solutions to the composite machining community. In this study, the impact of cutting conditions (cutting speed, feed rate, and fiber orientation) on the cutting forces and surface roughness during milling of the flax/epoxy composite is investigated. For this purpose, slotting tests are performed on flax fiber-reinforced polymer plates using a carbide end mill tool based on a full factorial design of experiment. Furthermore, a randomization in the order in which experimental runs are done is used to reduce bias by balancing the effect of uncontrolled variables that have not been accounted for in the experimental design. It is concluded that the feed rate has the most influence on the cutting forces and roughness parameters. Moreover, the fibers orientation also has a significant effect on the outputs, and the cutting speed has less effect but it remains significant.

Experimental Investigation on the Strengthening of Reinforced Concrete Beams Using Externally Bonded and Near-Surface Mounted Natural Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites-A Review.

Developing more resilient and sustainable physical infrastructure increases the demand for sustainable materials and strengthening approaches. Many investigations into strengthening RC beam structures have used either externally bonded (EB) or near-surface mounted (NSM) systems with synthetic fibre reinforced polymer composites. These synthetic fibres are unsustainable since they involve the use of nonrenewable resources and a large amount of energy. Research shows that natural fibre reinforced polymer (NFRP) composites may be an alternative to synthetic FRP composites in the strengthening of concrete beams. However, there is limited literature that validates their performance in various structural applications. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to explore the advances, prospects, and gaps of using EB/NSM NFRP techniques in strengthening concrete beams to provide areas for future research directions. The NSM FRP technique provides improved strengthening effects and mitigates the concerns associated with the EB system, based on a wider range of applications using synthetic FRPs. However, the NSM NFRP strengthening technique has been underutilized, though the EB NFRP system has been more commonly explored in reviewed studies. The knowledge gaps and areas for proposed future research directions are essential in developing work in emerging NFRPs and strengthening techniques for sustainable infrastructure.

Investigation on the Mechanical Properties of Flax/False Banana Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite

The intent of this research is to develop new material from flax and false banana fiber hybrid reinforced polymer composite using polyester resin as a matrix to replace synthetic fiber-reinforced polymer composites for automotive interior bodies. The composite samples were fabricated based on the weight percentage of fibers/matrix and the orientation of the fibers that were combined with Taguchi’s experimental design using the hand layup fabrication process. And also, single flax and single false banana fiber-reinforced polymer composite was fabricated with the same composition and orientation alone. The composite was tested for tensile and flexural strength properties, and it had been discussed and specimens were prepared according to ASTM standards. As a result, false banana showed better flexural strength than false banana fiber-reinforced composite for tensile strength, whereas the hybrid composites of 25% of flax, 15% of false banana, and unidirectional orientation have shown the maximum tensile and flexural strength with a value of 113.4 MPa and 167.88 MPa, respectively.

Fabrication and Depiction of Reinforced Human Hair Polymer Matrix Composites

Abstract: In recent years, the use of fiber reinforced polymer composites in variety of applications play a major role due to their attractive properties such as light weight, fatigue resistance, easy moldability, high specific strength and modulus. Earlier researchers in past studies have shown that synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composites obtained a better mechanical properties but the applications are restricted to less because of high procurement and manufacturing cost and more weight. To overcome these, nowadays light weight natural fiber reinforced polymer composites are very widely used in the field of automobile, Aerospace, Marine, and Furniture’s applications because of their recyclability, easy availability and low cost of materials and production. Human hair is a versatile material identified with a significant potential in the use of reinforcement in composites due to its excellent material properties. The present work concentrates on the fabrication and study of various physical, mechanical and thermal properties of natural fiber reinforced thermo-set polymer matrix composites. The fabrication was done for eight different types of new set of natural fiber polymer composites which consist of human hair as reinforcement, Epoxy and Vinylesteras the resin with four different set of fiber volume fractions (70:30, 75:25, 80:20, 85:15 ratio of matrix and fiber respectively) using hand layup technique. Then the samples were prepared according to ASTM standard for testing mechanical properties such as Impact Energy, Rockwell Hardness and physical properties such as Density and water absorption. Theoretical density of composites was determined for validating actual density of fabricated composites. Rockwell Hardness was measured on both dry and water absorbed composite samples. Internal structure between fiber and matrix was analyzed by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Keywords: Composites, Fiber reinforced polymer, Fabrication process, Hard Facing Electrodes, Hand Layup Technique, Scanning Electron Microscope

Effect of fiber stacking sequence and orientation on quasi- static indentation properties of sustainable hybrid carbon/ramie fiber epoxy composites

Hybrid polymer composites reinforced with synthetic and natural fibers are gaining more interest in current composite technology in an effort to promote sustainability without sacrificing the performance of synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composites. The goal of this study is to see how the fiber stacking sequence of carbon and ramie fiber, as well as the orientation of ramie fiber, affects the quasi-static indentation behaviour of carbon/ramie fiber reinforced epoxy hybrid composites. The hybrid composite specimens were made using a hand layup approach followed by a hot pressing process. The quasi-static indentation properties of carbon/ramie fiber reinforcements in epoxy matrix were investigated using a hemispherical indenter at varying indenter displacement rates of 10, 20, and 30 ​mm/min for the stated stacking sequence and orientation. The indentation resistance qualities of carbon/ramie fiber reinforced epoxy hybrid composites were evaluated in terms of indentation force, hybrid composite specimen energy absorption capability, and hybrid composite specimen damage caused by hemispherical indenter penetration. The results reveal that a carbon/ramie fiber reinforced epoxy hybrid composite with 5 ramie fiber layers has better energy absorption capabilities, absorbing 114.926 ​J at a 20 ​mm/min indentation rate. Similarly, the indentation force in hybrid composites increases as the number of carbon/ramie fiber layers increases. These results indicate that carbon/ramie fiber reinforced epoxy hybrid composites have a great potential towards low velocity impact applications.

Physical, Mechanical, and Morphological Properties of Hybrid Cyrtostachys renda/Kenaf Fiber Reinforced with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNT)-Phenolic Composites.

Adequate awareness of sustainable materials and eco-legislation have inspired researchers to identify alternative sustainable and green composites for synthetic fiber-reinforced polymer composites in the automotive and aircraft industries. This research focused on investigating the physical, mechanical, and morphological properties of different hybrid Cyrtostachys renda (CR)/kenaf fiber (K) (10C:0K, 7C:3K, 5C:5K, 3C:7K, 0C:10K) reinforced with 0.5 wt% MWCNT–phenolic composites. We incorporated 0.5 wt% of MWCNT into phenolic resin (powder) using a ball milling process for 25 h to achieve homogeneous distribution. The results revealed that CR fiber composites showed higher voids content (12.23%) than pure kenaf fiber composites (6.57%). CR fiber phenolic composite was more stable to the swelling tendency, resulting in the lowest percentage of swelling rate (4.11%) compared to kenaf composite (5.29%). The addition of kenaf fiber into CR composites had improved the tensile, flexural, and impact properties. The highest tensile and flexural properties were found for weight fraction of CR and kenaf fiber at 5C:5K (47.96 MPa) and 3C:7K (90.89 MPa) composites, respectively. In contrast, the highest impact properties were obtained for 0C:10K composites (9.56 kJ/m2). Based on the FE-SEM image, the CR fiber lumen was larger in comparison to kenaf fiber. The lumen of CR fiber was attributed to higher void and water absorption, lower mechanical properties compared to kenaf fiber. 5C:5K composite was selected as an optimal hybrid composite, based on the TOPSIS method. This hybrid composite can be used as an interior component (non-load-bearing structures) in the aviation and automotive sectors.

A Comparative Study between Jute and Glass Fiber Reinforced Composites

Recently, natural fiber reinforced polymer composites have become popular over traditional synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composites for automotive, low demanding structural and semi-structural applications. In this work, a comparative study of a natural fiber composite such as jute fabric composite (JFRP) and synthetic fiber composite such as glass fiber composite (GFRP) is presented. The composites were manufactured using hand lay-up and then curing at 90°C for 10 min in a hot press, followed by 24 h room temperature post-curing. The mechanical properties such as tensile and bending of JFRP and GFRP composites, were evaluated and compared. It was revealed that even if GFRPs exhibited significantly higher mechanical properties than JFRPs, environmental impact would still favor JFRPs for non-structural and low load bearing applications.

Tensile Properties of Epoxy Matrix Reinforced with Fique Fabric

Composite materials are being extensively studied for ballistic armor. Their main advantage is connected to the possibility of deeply reducing weight and costs by maintaining high performances in terms of strength and security. Epoxy composites are reinforced with natural fibers which are replacing other synthetic reinforcement materials. Composites are prepared using polymers as matrix material because of ease of production with different reinforcements. The mechanical strength of the natural fiber reinforced polymer composites has been compared with synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composites and it is found that for achieving equivalent mechanical strength of the material, the volume fraction of the natural fiber should be much higher than synthetic fiber. This work being an experimental study on untreated “as received” fique fabric-reinforced epoxy composites, to demonstrate the potential of this renewable source of natural fiber for use in a number of applications.

Characterization of discarded fruit waste as substitute for harmful synthetic fiber-reinforced polymer composites

Currently, innovations on eco-friendly, sustainability and energy-efficient technology are focused worldwide. This concept has diverted the attention of researchers to implement new natural products in many industries. The handiness and readiness of natural fibers are the main motivation for evolving new attention in sustainable development. Research gained momentum in developing novel natural fiber-reinforced materials in spite of its limitations, due to the ecological, environmental and health concerns raised by synthetic fibers. Huge amounts of agro-wastes with potential fiber contents are being discarded from many industries and are to be explored to meet the increasing demand for composite industries, which in turn helps to reduce deforestation as well as favors an effective waste management technique promoting healthier environment. The present study delivers a sound knowledge on availability of discarded fruit wastes and broad characterization of two industrial cast of areca and tamarind fruit fibers for its viability as a credible reinforcement in composites made of polymer matrix. The attained results authorize the potential of areca and tamarind fibers extracted from discarded fruit waste as a probable reinforcement in polymer composites for lightweight and domestic applications.

Impact strength and morphological properties of Kenaf/glass fibre/polyester hybrid composite for attenuator application

Automobile attenuator component is a part of the frontal vehicle assembly which is used to absorb energy during the crash or accidental impact. Impact attenuator is considered as a capable protective device that is fixed right behind the bumper component of the car or vehicle. The materials used for the attenuator component are generally made of aluminium, steel and metal alloys. In the present days, due to hazardous environmental pollutions and carbon emission effects, synthetic and conventional materials are being replaced with natural fibres such as jute, sisal, kenaf etc. Natural fibres are widely used in polymer composites for automotive applications because of their lightweight, higher stiffness, and much stronger than bulk existing materials, and also quite good energy absorption characteristics comparable with metallic materials. This paper highlights the potential of natural fibre along with synthetic fibre reinforced polymer composites used in the automotive applications for crash energy absorption. A new technique such as vacuum infusion method was used to prepare the hybrid composites samples; pure polyester (control), Kenaf/Polyester Composite (KPC), Kenaf/Glass Fibre Polyester Composite (KGPC) and Kenaf/Glass Polyester Hybrid Composite with 6% NaOH treatment (KGPC-t) then followed by an experimental investigation on the effect of kenaf fibre on impact strength and energy absorption characteristics of kenaf/glass fibre/polyester hybrid composite material. Charpy impact strength kenaf/glass/polyester hybrid composite with NaOH treatment was increased by 3.88% than kenaf/glass/polyester hybrid composite without any treatment and 9.25% than kenaf/polyester composites without any treatment. In this study, SEM showed a visual graphical image of the fractured samples at 150X and 750X magnification has minimal pull-out and strong interfacial bonding between the fibres and the matrix.

Influence of dolomite on mechanical, physical and erosive wear properties of natural-synthetic fiber reinforced epoxy composites

The study was intended to investigate the influence of dolomite content on the physical, mechanical and erosive wear properties of hybrid natural—synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composites. Therefore, epoxy composites, having fixed amount of Grewia optiva and glass fiber with varying proportion of dolomite particles (0, 5, 10 and 15 wt%) were developed with hand-layout technique. The results show that the density, void content, impact energy and hardness increases, while flexural and tensile strength decreases with the increase of dolomite content. For erosive wear analysis, Taguchi method with L16 orthogonal array was used. The experiments were performed on an air jet machine with different impingement angles (30, 45, 60 and 90°), erodent sizes (100, 150, 200 and 250 μm) and impact velocities (10, 20, 30 and 40 m s−1). The lowest wear rate was achieved under optimal condition of 10 wt% dolomite content, 30° impingement angle, 10 m s−1 impact velocity and 150 μm erodent size. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy was implemented in order to analyze the eroded composite surfaces for possible wear mechanism.