Mechanical Properties of Randomly Oriented Calotropis Gigantea Fiber-Reinforced Phenol Formaldehyde Biocomposites

Mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact, of randomly oriented Calotropis Gigantea Fiber (CGF) -reinforced Phenol Formaldehyde (PF) biocomposites were studied based on the five different fiber loadings (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 vol%) and three different fiber lengths (3, 9, and 15 mm). The critical fiber length and optimum fiber loading were identified with the maximum level of mechanical properties in this composite. The fractured surfaces of composites after testing were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results revealed that the addition of CGFs is improving the mechanical properties of the PF composite. The properties of composites reach the properties of the neat resin sample at 20 vol% of all the cases. The critical fiber length and the optimum fiber loading to obtain the maximum mechanical properties were identified as 9 mm and 40 vol% respectively. Experimental tensile property values were compared with theoretical values and found to be in good agreement

Effects of Addition of Prosopis Juliflora Fiber on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Wood Dust and Coir Pith Particle Reinforced Phenol Formaldehyde Hybrid Composite

In this study, Wood Dust (WD)/Phenol Formaldehyde (PF) and Coir Pith (CP)/PF composites were hybridized with the Prosopis Juliflora Fiber (PJF) to obtain the hybrid composites. Composites were prepared by hand moulding technique. The weight percentage of particles and fibers are fixed in the ratio of 1:1. Mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact strengths were evaluated as a function of the particle and fiber loadings. The results show that the properties of both the WD and CP composites obviously improved by the addition of the PJF. The improvement in WD/PF composites was obviously higher than the CP/PF composites for all loadings. The WD/PJF/PF hybrid composites exhibited better tensile (strength of 48.9 MPA and modulus of 1262.1 MPa, respectively), flexural (strength of 55.4 MPa and modulus of 1344.3 MPa, respectively), and impact properties (1.32 KJ/m2).Â

Jute/polypropylene composites: Effect of enzymatic modification on thermo-mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties

In this study, a high-performance composite was prepared from jute fabrics and polypropylene (PP). In order to improve the compatibility of the polar fibers and the non-polar matrix, alkyl gallates with different hydrophobic groups were enzymatically grafted onto jute fabric by laccase to increase the surface hydrophobicity of the fiber. The grafting products were characterized by FTIR. The results of contact angle and wetting time showed that the hydrophobicity of the jute fabrics was improved after the surface modification. The effect of the enzymatic graft modification on the properties of the jute/PP composites was evaluated. Results showed that after the modification, tensile and dynamic mechanical properties of composites improved, and water absorption and thickness swelling clearly decreased. However, tensile properties drastically decreased after a long period of water immersion. The thermal behavior of the composites was evaluated by TGA/DTG. The fiber-matrix morphology in the modified jute/PP composites was confirmed by SEM analysis of the tensile fractured specimens.This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51173071), the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-12-0883), the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (IRT1135) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (JUSRP51312B, JUSRP51505)

Review of natural fibre-reinforced hybrid composites

Natural fibre-reinforced hybrid composites which contain one or more types of natural reinforcement are gaining increasing research interest. This paper presents a review of natural fibre-reinforced hybrid composites. Both thermoplastic and thermoset composites reinforced by hybrid/synthetic fibres or hybrid/hybrid fibres are reviewed. The properties of natural fibres, the properties and processing of composites are summarised

Evaluation of mechanical properties of coconut shell particle/vinyl ester composite based on the untreated and treated conditions

The aim of the present communication is to study the effects of the addition of the untreated and treated coconut shell particles on the mechanical properties of vinyl ester composites. Composite plates were prepared by hand lay-up technique with the six different content (5, 15, 25, 35, 45, and 55 wt%) of the coconut shell particles. Mechanical properties such as, tensile, flexural, and impact, of the coconut shell particle/vinyl ester composites were determined and compared at both the untreated and treated conditions based on the content of the coconut shell particles. The results revealed that the mechanical properties of the composites have increased with the addition of the coconut shell particles up to 35 wt% and then dropped at both the conditions. The treated composites show the high level of mechanical property values compared to the untreated composites. The optimum particle content to get the best combination of mechanical properties is 35 wt% in this composite. The fractographic studies were carried out to understand the failure of the composites. To understand the chemical compatibility between the particle and the matrix in the composite at both the untreated and treated conditions, the Pukanszky’s model was used and correlated with the experimental results

Właściwości mechaniczne żywic fenolowo-formaldehydowych wzmocnionych włóknami Prosopis Juliflora.

In this paper, an attempt was made to use Prosopis juliflora fibres (PJFs) as a reinforcing agent for phenol formaldehyde (PF) composites. Mechanical properties of the composites were studied for various fibre aspect ratios (FAR) and fibre loadings (FL). A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to study the fractured surface of the composites. The peak range of mechanical properties was identified for composites with a FAR of 136 and fibre loading of 23.53 wt%. This study shows that the optimum FAR and fibre loading for PJFs were found to be 136 and 23.53 wt% in order to achieve good reinforcement with better mechanical properties in the PF resin matrix. Experimental results were observed to be in very good agreement with the theoretical.W pracy podjęto próbę wykorzystania włókien Prosopis juliflora jako środka wzmacniającego żywice fenolowo-formaldehydowe. Przy użyciu elektronowego mikroskopu skaningowego zbadano powierzchnie przełomu kompozytów. Dla różnych wartości wydłużenia włókien (46, 136 i 227 mm) i udziału procentowego włókien w matrycy (4.88, 10.34, 16.51, 23.53 i 31.58 wt%) zbadano właściwości mechaniczne kompozytów. Na podstawie badań stwierdzono, że optymalne wydłużenie i zawartość włókien w matrycy to odpowiednio 136 mm i 23,53 wt%. Wyniki eksperymentalne charakteryzowały się dobrą korelacją z wynikami teoretycznymi

Influence of Alkali-Treated Fibers on the Mechanical Properties and Machinability of Roselle and Sisal Fiber Hybrid Polyester Composite

In this work, the alkali-treated roselle and sisal fibers were used as reinforcement fillers for thermosetting matrix with aim of obtaining better mechanical properties and machinability of natural fiber hybrid polyester composite. However, their mechanical properties and machinability were compared with untreated fiber composites. The roselle and the sisal fibers were subjected to a 10% sodium hydroxide solution treatment at different duration of 2, 4, 6, and 8 h. Besides, the fractured surfaces of composite specimen were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Drill hole profiles were analyzed using profile projector and machine vision inspection system. An improvement in strength and stiffness combined with high toughness was achieved by treating the fibers using 10% NaOH solution. POLYM. COMPOS., 31:723–731, 2010. ª 2009 Society of Plastics Engineer

Effects of fiber content and its chemical treatment on the mechanical properties of screw pine fiber reinforced vinyl ester composite

Natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites have several advantages over traditional composites. The chemical modification of natural fibers helps to develop polymer composites with better mechanical properties. In the present work, mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural, and impact strength of chopped Screw pine fiber reinforced vinyl ester composites have been evaluated under-treated conditions based on the volume fractions of Screw pine fibers. The fibers have been treated with 5% of NaOH solution for 1 h at room temperature. The hand lay-up method has been used to prepare composite plates at room temperature. The results revealed that mechanical properties of composites increased with the increase of the fiber content up to 35.57 vol% at both the untreated and treated conditions and then dropped. However, the modulus values have been increased continuously from the fiber content of 8.43 to 45.3 vol%. It was identified that the critical or optimum fiber content for better mechanical properties is 35.57 vol% for both the untreated and treated conditions. The percentage of improvement at every combination was obtained by comparing the composites prepared with the untreated and treated fibers. The fractured surface of the treated fiber composites was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, the tensile properties are predicted using the Hirsch and Modified Bowyer and Bader model and compared with experimental values. The predicted results revealed that the Modified Bowyer and Bader model shows better conformity

Investigations on temperature distribution in welding of Aluminium alloys to steel using FEM

This research study focuses on the objective to establish an analytical model for determining the thermal distribution during friction stir welding (FSW), based on different assumptions of the contact condition between the rotating tool surface and the weld piece. The material flow and heat generation are characterized by the contact conditions at the interface, and are described as sliding, sticking or partial sliding/sticking. The analytical expression for the heat generation is a modification of previous analytical models known from the literature and accounts for both conical surfaces and different contact conditions. Aluminium metal matrix composites and steel 304 (dissimilar material joining) is being used for this study. Three dimensional Finite Element Models have been developed to visualize the temperature distribution across the butt ends of the plates. The results are validated with the experimental results reported in the literature. The result reveals that there exists a good coherence between experimental and simulated results

Investigations on Mechanical Properties of Bio-Waste Micro Particles Reinforced Phenol Formaldehyde Composites

A characteristic study on the phenol formaldehyde (PF) composite is carried out based on the micro level bio waste particles such as wood sawdust (WSD) and coir pith (CP). Composite is characterized by mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact at different percentages of particles (0-50% by weight) to find out the optimum percentage of particle loading to get the maximum properties. The WSD/CP/PF hybrid composite is also prepared by two different methods i.e., one: one (1:1) ratio and rule of mixture. The first method (1:1) is used to find out the optimum level of hybrid particles loading to get the maximum properties. But, the second method is followed to find out the weight percentages of particles influencing the properties of resulting composite. The results show that the mechanical properties of WSD/PF are higher than CP/PF composite in the entire particle loading. The optimum particle loading to get the maximum properties is 40 wt.% in CP/PF composite, whereas for WSD/PF composite are at 30 wt.%. The hybrid composite (1:1) also gives the maximum properties at 30 wt.%. Moreover, the hybrid composite (20WSD/10CP) prepared by rule of mixture showed the highest mechanical properties compared to the other particle loading. It is identified that the WSD particles are most influencing the properties of PF composites than the CP particles. Fractographic study was performed using scanning electron microscope to examine the failure mechanism of the composite specimens