Finite Element Analysis of a Natural Fiber (Maize) Composite Beam

Natural fiber composites are termed as biocomposites or green composites. These fibers are green, biodegradable, and recyclable and have good properties such as low density and low cost when compared to synthetic fibers. The present work is investigated on the finite element analysis of the natural fiber (maize) composite beam, processed by means of hand lay-up method. Composite beam material is composed of stalk-based fiber of maize and unsaturated polyester resin polymer as matrix with methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) as a catalyst and Cobalt Octoate as a promoter. The material was modeled and resembled as a structural beam using suitable assumption and analyzed by means of finite element method using ANSYS software for determining the deflection and stress properties. Morphological analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis for the fiber were examined by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer. From the results, it has been found that the finite element values are acceptable with proper assumptions, and the prepared natural fiber composite beam material can be used for structural engineering applications

Mechanical Properties of PC-ABS-Based Graphene-Reinforced Polymer Nanocomposites Fabricated by FDM Process

This experimental study investigates the mechanical properties of polymer matrix composites containing nanofiller developed by fused deposition modelling (FDM). A novel polymer nanocomposite was developed by amalgamating polycarbonate-acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC-ABS) by blending with graphene nanoparticles in the following proportions: 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 wt %. The composite filaments were developed using a twin-screw extrusion method. The mechanical properties such as tensile strength, low-velocity impact strength, and surface roughness of pure PC-ABS and PC-ABS + graphene were compared. It was observed that with the addition of graphene, tensile strength and impact strength improved, and a reduction in surface roughness was observed along the build direction. These properties were analyzed to understand the dispersion of graphene in the PC-ABS matrix and its effects on the parameters of the study. With the 0.8 wt % addition of graphene to PC-ABS, the tensile strength increased by 57%, and the impact resistance increased by 87%. A reduction in surface roughness was noted for every incremental addition of graphene to PC-ABS. The highest decrement was seen for the 0.8 wt % addition of graphene reinforcement that amounted to 40% compared to PC-ABS