Thermal, mechanical, and physical properties of seaweed/sugar palm fibre reinforced thermoplastic sugar palm Starch/Agar hybrid composites

The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of sugar palm fibre (SPF) on the mechanical, thermal and physical properties of seaweed/thermoplastic sugar palm starch agar (TPSA) composites. Hybridized seaweed/SPF filler at weight ratio of 25:75, 50:50 and 75:25 were prepared using TPSA as a matrix. Mechanical, thermal and physical properties of hybrid composites were carried out. Obtained results indi- cated that hybrid composites display improved tensile and flexural properties accompanied with lower impact resistance. The highest tensile (17.74 MPa) and flexural strength (31.24 MPa) was obtained from hybrid composite with 50:50 ratio of seaweed/SPF. Good fibre-matrix bonding was evident in the scan- ning electron microscopy (SEM) micrograph of the hybrid composites’ tensile fracture. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis showed increase in intermolecular hydrogen bonding following the addition of SPF. Thermal stability of hybrid composites was enhanced, indicated by a higher onset degradation temperature (259 ◦C) for 25:75 seaweed/SPF composites than the individual seaweed com- posites (253 ◦C). Water absorption, thickness swelling, water solubility, and soil burial tests showed higher water and biodegradation resistance of the hybrid composites. Overall, the hybridization of SPF with seaweed/TPSA composites enhances the properties of the biocomposites for short-life application; that is, disposable tray, plate, etc

Characteristics of thermoplastic sugar palm Starch/Agar blend: Thermal, tensile, and physical properties

The aim of this work is to study the behavior of biodegradable sugar palm starch (SPS) based thermoplastic containing agar in the range of 10–40 wt%. The thermoplastics were melt-mixed and then hot pressed at 140◦C for 10 min. SEM investigation showed good miscibility between SPS and agar. FT-IR analysis confirmed that SPS and agar were compatible and inter-molecular hydrogen bonds existed between them. Incorporation of agar increased the thermoplastic starch tensile properties (Young’s modulus and tensile strength). The thermal stability and moisture uptake increased with increasing agar content. The present work shows that starch-based thermoplastics with 30 wt% agar content have the highest tensile strength. Higher content of agar (40 wt%) resulted to more rough cleavage fracture and slight decrease in the tensile strength. In conclusion, the addition of agar improved the thermal and tensile properties of thermoplastic SPS which widened the potential application of this eco-friendly material. The most promising applications for this eco-friendly material are short-life products such as packaging, container, tray, et

Characteristics of Eucheuma cottonii waste from East Malaysia: physical, thermal and chemical composition

The aim of this paper was to examine the characteristics of Eucheuma cottonii waste in order to analyse its potential as renewable material. The morphology of Eucheuma cottonii (raw and wastes) was investigated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the thermal behaviour through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and the physical properties through FT-IR, XRD, gas pycnometer, particle size analyser, water absorption and moisture content analysis. The chemical compositions were determined by using acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) analysis. It was found that Eucheuma cottonii wastes have better thermal stability, higher crude fibre content, lower moisture content and similar density to the raw Eucheuma cottonii, which suggests that these biomass wastes have good potential as renewable filler material

Effect of seaweed on physical properties of thermoplastic sugar palm starch/agar composites

The aim of this paper is to investigate the physical properties of thermoplastic sugar palm starch/agar (TPSA) blend when incorporated with seaweed. The ratio of starch, agar, and glycerol for TPSA was maintained at 70:30:30. Seaweed with various contents (10, 20, 30, and 40 wt.%) were mixed with TPSA matrix via melt mixing before compression were molded into 3 mm plate at 140oC for 10 minutes. The prepared laminates were characterized for moisture absorption, water absorption, thickness swelling, water solubility, and density. The results showed that increasing seaweed loading from 0 to 40 wt% has led to a drop in moisture content from 6.50 to 4.96% and 9% reduction of the density. TPSA matrix showed 52.5% water uptake and 32.3% swelling whereas TPSA/seaweed composites (40 wt% loading) showed 97% water uptake and 74.8% swelling respectively. Higher water solubility was also shown by TPSA/seaweed composites (57 wt%) compared to that of the TPSA matrix (26 wt%). After 16 days of storage, the equilibrium moisture content for TPSA and TPSA/seaweed (40 wt% loading) were 23.2 and 25.2% respectively. In conclusion, TPSA/seaweed composites show good environmental friendly characteristics as a renewable material. In future, the properties of this material can be further improved by hybridization with more hydrophobic fillers for better resistance against water

Mercerization effect on morphology and tensile properties of roselle fibre

Natural fibres are preferred compared to synthetic fibres because of several advantages such as biodegradable, lightweight, low cost and good mechanical properties. Roselle is one of the plants found to be suitable to be used to produce natural fibres. Although natural fiber reinforced composites are becoming widely used, several weaknesses such as lack of good interfacial adhesion, low melting point and poor resistance to moisture absorption are harmful to its further acceptance. Chemical treatment is a method that can improve the interfacial bonding, stop water absorption, clean the fibre and increase surface roughness. In this study, roselle fibres were immersed in Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) with 3 different concentration (3, 6, and 9%). The results before and after treatment were compared. Scanning electron microscope was used to examine the surface morphology. Tensile properties of roselle fibre were performed to study the tensile properties. Results shows that the higher concentration of NaOH will increase the surface roughness and have higher ability to clean the fibre. For tensile properties, 6% of NaOH give the highest tensile strength. It can be concluded that, 6% of NaOH is the most suitable concentration to clean roselle fibre and while maintaining good tensile properties

Fire safety model applying on workplaces of Fire and rescue departments in Kuala Lumpur city Malaysia

Occupational health & safety (OSH) are conditions and factors that affect, or may affect the health and safety of employees or employees wile at work. Certified OHSM systems have become an important instrument for organization in their efforts to make a work environment healthy and safe (Gallagher et al., 2001; Underhill & Rimmer, 2001, Frick and Wren, 2000; Robson et al., 2007; Rocha, 2010).Therefore, here for having a safe workplace first most problematic hazard were determined in this study, then a safety model regarding to the issue were proposed. Result reported that fire explosion was a highest hazard in the fire and rescue department in Kuala Lumpur city that is why the propose model most consider on fire as a hazard

Material Characterization Of Roselle Fibre ( Hibiscus Sabdariffa L .)As Potential Reinforcement Material For Polymer Composites

Recently,in line with rising environmental concerns,n researchers are now replacing synthetic fibres with natural ones as the main component in composites.Natural fibres are preferred to synthetic fibres because of several advantages such as biodegradable,light weight, low cost and good mechanical properties.Roselle is one of the plants found to be suitable to be used to produce natural fibres.In this work,we analysed the physical, thermal and mechanical characteristics of roselle fibre. Roselle fibre has good physical properties which lead to the dimensional stability of the composite product.The result obtained indicated that the moisture content of roselle fibre is 10.9%,while water absorption is 286.5%. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) was conducted to understand the thermal stability of roselle fibre at high temperature.The results show that the initial degradation of roselle fibre starts at 225 °C and completes the decomposition of the lignocellulosic component at 400 4C. A tensile test was conducted to investigate the mechanical properties of roselle fibre.The tensile strength of roselle fibre is 130 - 562 MPa.On the basis of the properties of roselle fibres obtained,we concluded that roselle fibre is one of the good natural fibres that can be used as reinforced material for the manufacturing of polymer composites for different applications,while at the same time saving the cost required to manage the agro waste

The mechanical performance of sugar palm fibres (Ijuk) reinforced phenolic composites

Sugar palm fibres are one of the natural fibres which have many features and need further study to understand their properties. The aim of this work is to investigate the flexural, compressive and impact properties of sugar palm fibres reinforced phenolic composites. Sugar palm fibres were used as a filler (particle size 150 μm) and with loading of 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 vol.%. The fibres were treated by sea water and then fabricated into composites by hot press technique. Flexural, compressive, and impact tests were carried out as per ASTM D790, ASTM D695-08a, and ASTM D256 standards, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the morphology and the interfacial bonding of the fibres-matrix in composites. The results show that the mechanical properties of the composites improve with the incorporation of fibres. The composite of 30 vol.% particle loading exhibit optimum values which are 32.23 MPa, 61.66 MPa, and 4.12 kJ/m2 for flexural, compressive, and impact strength, respectively. This was because good compatibility of fibre-matrix bonding. Consequently, sugar palm fibre is one of the prospective fibres and could be used as a potential resource to reinforcement polymer composite

Investigation on vehicle dynamic behaviour during emergency braking at different speed

Safety system of the vehicle can be divided into two main categories; passive and active safety system. The purpose of the passive safety system is to protect the occupant during an accident, while active safety system allows the vehicle to be manoeuvred to avoid any collision. Although active safety system can prevent the accident, in a critical situation such as emergency braking, the dynamic behaviour of the vehicle changes abruptly, and the vehicle becomes unstable. The objective of this study is to analyse the dynamic behaviour of the vehicle during emergency braking with and without anti-lock braking system (ABS). In this study, the dynamic behaviour of the vehicle is observed by the simulation model that has been developed in the MATLAB-Simulink. The analysis vehicle model is Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) test car, model Proton Persona. During braking, when ABS control unit detect the wheel is to lock-up, the hydraulic control unit closed the hydraulic valve to release the brake pad on the wheel. This allows the wheel to spin intermittently during braking. From the simulation results, when ABS is not applied to the vehicle, the front tires were lock-up and the vehicle become skidding. However, when ABS is applied, the speed of all tires decreased gradually and the vehicle is not skidding. The simulation results also show that the stopping distance with ABS is improved 28% compared without ABS

Tension-compression fatigue behavior of plain woven kenaf/kevlar hybrid composites

The applications of hybrid natural/synthetic reinforced polymer composites have been rapidly gaining market share in structural applications due to their remarkable characteristics and the fact that most of the components made of these materials are subjected to cyclic loading. Their fatigue properties have received a lot of attention because predicting their behavior is a challenge due to the effects of the synergies between the fibers. The purpose of this work is to characterize the tension, compression, and tensile-compression fatigue behavior of six layers of Kevlar hybridized with one layer of woven kenaf reinforced epoxy, at a 35% weight fraction. Fatigue tests were carried out and loaded cyclically at 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90% of their ultimate compressive stress. The results give a complete description for tensile and compression properties and could be used to predict fatigue-induced failure mechanisms