Isolation and characterization of nanocrystalline cellulose from sugar palm fibres (Arenga Pinnata)

Cellulose was extracted from sugar palm fibres (Arenga pinnata) by conducting delignification and mercerization treatments. Subsequently, sugar palm nanocrystalline celluloses (SPNCCs) were isolated from the extracted cellulose with 60 wt% concentrated sulphuric acid. The chemical composition of sugar palm fibres were determined at different stages of treatment. Structural analysis was carried out by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Morphological analysis of extracted cellulose and isolated nanocrystalline cellulose (NCCs) was investigated by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The thermal stability of sugar palm fibres at different stages of treatment was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that lignin and hemicellulose were removed from the extracted cellulose through the delignification and mercerization process, respectively. The isolated SPNCCs were found to have length and diameters of 130 ± 30 nm and 9 ± 1.96 nm, respectively

DEVELOPMENT OF CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF AUTOMOTIVE BUMPER BEAM AT THE CONCEPTUAL DESIGN STAGE

Development of a given engineering automotive component is a crucial process. Determining various factors that influence the development process of product is very important. This paper presents the development of automotive bumper beam at the conceptual design stage. The total design approach was employed to generate and design the conceptual design of automotive bumper beam. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was used to assist designers in determining the most appropriate decisions at the conceptual design stage. The paper reveals that the design concept 6 (DC-6) with a weight of 0.191 (19.1%) is the most appropriate decision during the development process at the conceptual design stage

Mechanical and thermal properties of Kenaf reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-natural rubber (NR) composites

In this paper, natural rubber (NR) was mixed with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and kenaf as fillerreinforcement for the polymer composite. Mixing the material using the internal mixer and hot press machine was able toblend the material homogeneously. Investigation of the new polymer composite characterisation was carried out by thermalgravimetric analysis (TGA), along with tensile, flexural and impact tests. The TGA for the polymer composite achieved322⁰C before degradation and increase in tensile and impact strength with the increase of TPU in the polymer compositematrices were observed. The result indicated an improvement in tensile, flexural and impact strength for the kenaf filledTPU-NR composites. The mixing of kenaf fibre and TPU-NR polymer showed degradation that was gradually diminishingturned into ashes. TGA result showed all compositions of kenaf filled TPU-NR composites samples shared the same peaktemperature, being degraded at 600⁰C

Physico-chemical and thermal properties of starch derived from sugar palm tree (arenga pinnata)

Petroleum based polymers are extremely stable and commonly used in various industries include food packaging, furniture and automotive. However, the waste that come from petroleum based polymer material has brought negative impact not only for human being, but also create the serious environmental problems. Hence, biopolymers that come from natural source such as starches are now being considered as an alternative to the existing petrochemical based polymers. This study was aimed to examine the potential of sugar palm starch extracted from sugar palm tree (Arenga pinnata) as a new biopolymer. The important properties of sugar palm starch studied were the chemical properties, thermal properties, particle size and morphological surface. The starches isolated from sugar palm tree contained comparable amounts of amylose (37.60 %) which were higher than tapioca, sago, potato, wheat and maize. The results showed significant differences in the chemical content as well as in the granule sizes of sugar palm starch. Thermal characteristic studies using thermogravimetry analysis and differential scanning calorimetry showed that sugar palm starch was thermally stable than other starches. Study on morphological surface indicated that sugar palm starch were rounded and oval-shaped

Materials Selection for Lightweight Automotive Composite Hand Operated Parking Brake Lever Design with a Weighted Property Index Method

In a typical modern vehicle where the components may rise up to 15,000 parts, the task to select the appropriate material to best suit a required function or application is not an easy task. It is more complicated when the designers is faced by the challenged of having overwhelming information on various materials available at the market to choose from to match the required component function. Thus, the need for a systematic and quantitative material selection process is very important to aid the task in choosing the optimum material which gives the maximum benefits to the component such as in function, cost and reliability. One of the solutions is through a systematic material selection process called the weighted property index method. In this exercise, the weighted property index method is applied in the design of an automotive component. The aim is to identify a new material for the construction of a lightweight automotive hand operated parking brake lever based on the performance requirements set for the component

Effects of fabric counts and weave designs on the properties of laminated woven kenaf carbon fibre reinforced epoxy hybrid composites

The effects of different fabric materials namely weave designs (plain and satin) and fabric counts (5 × 5 and 6 × 6) on the properties of laminated woven kenaf/carbon fibre reinforced epoxy hybrid composites were evaluated. The hybrid composites were fabricated from two types of fabric, i.e., woven kenaf that was made from a yarn of 500tex and carbon fibre, by using vacuum infusion technique and epoxy resin as matrix. The panels were tested for tensile, flexural, and impact strengths. The results have revealed that plain fabric is more suitable than satin fabric for obtaining high tensile and impact strengths. Using a fabric count of 5 × 5 has generated composites that are significantly higher in flexural modulus as compared to 6 × 6 which may be attributed to their structure and design. The scanned electron micrographs of the fractured surfaces of the composites demonstrated that plain woven fabric composites had better adhesion properties than satin woven fabric composites, as indicated by the presence of notably lower amount of fibre pull out

Thermoplastic Matrix Material Selection using Multi Criteria Decision Making Method for Hybrid Polymer Composites

Multi criteria decision making (MDCM) methods are amongst the approaches available in aiding composite designers to make the final decision especially during the material selection process where multiple solutions are present and various requirements are required to be satisfied simultaneously. Thus, in this paper, material selection process of thermoplastic matrix using MDCM methods for hybrid natural fiber/glass fiber polymer composites is presented. The aim is to identify the most suitable type of thermoplastic matrix to be used in the hybrid polymer composites formulation. The Weighted Sum Method (WSM) is applied in the selection process of seven candidate thermoplastic matrix materials based on the product design specifications. The overall analysis highlights that low density polyethylene (LDPE) is the preferred matrix for the intended application based on the highest scores obtained compared to other candidate materials. A signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio analysis was further performed to validate the initial selection results where LDPE once again outperformed other candidate materials with highest S/N ratio score in the noncompensatory approach

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