Flammability, morphological and mechanical properties of sugar palm fiber/polyester yarn-reinforced epoxy hybrid biocomposites with magnesium hydroxide flame retardant filler

This paper aims to study the surface morphology, flammability and tensile properties of sugar palm fiber (SPF) hybrid with polyester (PET) yarn-reinforced epoxy composite with the addition of magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) as a flame retardant. The composites were prepared by hybridized epoxy and Mg(OH)2/PET with different amounts of SPF contents (0%, 20%, 35% and 50%) using the cold press method. Then these composites were tested by horizontal burning analysis, tensile strength testing and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The specimen with 35% SPF (Epoxy/PET/SPF-35) with the incorporation of Mg(OH)2 as a flame retardant showed the lowest burning rate of 13.25 mm/min. The flame took a longer time to propagate along with the Epoxy/PET/SPF-35 specimen and at the same time producing char. Epoxy/PET/SPF-35 also had the highest tensile strength of 9.69 MPa. Tensile properties of the SPF hybrid with PET yarn (SPF/PET)-reinforced epoxy composite was decreased at 50% SPF content due to the lack of interfacial bonding between the fibers and matrix. Surface morphology analysis through SEM showed uniform distribution of the SPF and matrix with less adhesion, which increased the flammability and reduced the tensile properties of the hybrid polymeric composites. These composites have potential to be utilized in various applications, such as automotive components, building materials and in the aerospace industry

Effect of reinforcement of alkaline-treated sugar palm/bamboo/kenaf and fibreglass/ kevlar with polyester hybrid biocomposites: mechanical, morphological, and water absorption properties

In this age of globalisation, decreasing synthetic resources have exhilarated global communities to apply natural fibres as substitute materials for green technology development. The growth of products from lignocellulose fibre-reinforced composites has been a wide topic among material scientists and engineers due to their abundance, sustainability in nature, biodegradability, and availability at low cost. A series of natural/synthetic hybrid fibre-reinforced composites are prepared by reinforcing polyester resin as the matrix. Natural fibres such as sugar palm/kenaf/bamboo with fibreglass/Kevlar hybrid composite materials were used in this research to determine the mechanical and water absorption properties. The difference between the weight content of natural fibres which were 0 (control sample), 15, 45, and 60 wt% influenced their strength of mechanical properties. The Charpy impact and tensile test were performed following the ASTM D6110-10 and ASTM D3039, respectively. A water absorption test in accordance with ASTM D570-98 was also performed on three different natural fibre-reinforced hybrid composite materials to determine which composite had the best water resistance property. The results showed that hybrid fibre-reinforced composite for 45 wt% kenaf fibre possessed better tensile properties and 60 wt % sugar palm fibre performed better during the Charpy impact strength test compared to other natural/synthetic hybrid fibre-reinforced composites. It was concluded that sugar palm fibres demonstrated the best water resistance in this study

MMICs for satellite Ku band TLC repeaters

This paper focuses on the development by Alenia Spazio of several GaAs MMICs and their application in miniaturised equipments for on-board satellite TLC repeaters

Extract Enhances Performance of Corrosion Protection of Coated Mild Steel in Seawater

The investigation of coating incorporated with various percentages of henna has been conducted by means of weight loss, potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy method. Mild steel has been studied at ambient temperature and 50°C in order to examine the effect of temperature. The potentiodynamic polarization measurements indicate that henna extract acts as a mixed inhibitor while the corrosion rate (CR) value decreases as the current density (Icorr) decreases in the presence of 10% henna extract for both temperatures. Surface and protective film analysis have been carried out using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).The inhibition activity is mainly correlated with the major active functional groups of lawsone. The main components can be found in lawsone structures are phenols O-H, carboxylic acid C=O and alkenes C=C. The morphology of the uninhibited sample shows a rough surface of mild steel as a result of corrosion process and severe damage can be seen. In the presence of henna, a smooth surface of mild steel anda uniform deposition of henna were observed

Review of development and characterization of sugar palm fiber–reinforced polymer composites

This chapter reviews the characterization and development of SPF- reinforced polymer composites, as well as other important issues related to these composites. Sugar palm fiber has been the subject of research to study the potential of this fiber as an alternative option to reinforce polymer composites due to the fiber’s good mechanical strength and its stiffness, as well as its high durability and good resistance to sea water, all of which make this fiber a potential alternative to synthetic fiber in polymer composites. Works have been carried out to study the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of of understand the nature of this fiber, the suitable manufacturing parameters to produce good composites from this fiber, and the opportunities that SPF fiber could offer. The works are not limited only to basic mechanical and thermal properties of SPF, but also study the tribological performance durability, biodegradability, and compatibility of the SPF and its composites