Applied Mechanics and Materials Vols. 766-767

Abstract: The objective of this investigation is to fabricate a natural material based composite and study its tensile strength. The water hyacinth is a plant which is considered as an unwanted wild growth which is detrimental to the water bodies. It affects the oxygen and nutrients content of the fresh and sewage water and also hampers the flow of the water, thus leading to stagnation and flooding. In this method the water hyacinth was harvested and used as a reinforcing fibre in its untreated condition [1]. Our nation having a long sea shore is blessed with coconut trees. All the parts of the coconut tree are being used for various purposes [2-4]. Based on literature 15% by weight of powdered coconut shell was used as particulate reinforcement in this study [5, 6]. Hence this experimental work is an effort to fabricate a composite using the waste water hyacinth fibres and the coconut shell powder using an epoxy resin matrix through hand layup technique and subjected to tensile loading. This test results show good ultimate tensile strength.

Abstract: Carbon - Carbon (CC) area unit extremely used as a neighborhood of various coming up with applications attributable to its weight lightweight property. Yet, this area unit got to oppose wear and acquire to be feeble for tribological applications. This marvel raises the need for Carbon - Carbon Matrix Composites (CCMCs) for elite tribological applications. For the foremost half, the fortifications area unit intercalary with the CC to structure CCMCs through fluid throwing system. The impact of fortifications in CCMCs specimens area unit tried to find the modification in mechanical and tribological properties. The mechanical properties like hardness and snap area unit tried. The wear and tear element enclosed within the modification of tribological property is focused on utilizing the minute photos. The implications of various fortifications in CCMCs area unit solid and therefore the unmatched support is distinguished for tribological applications

Abstract: Silicon Carbide/GFRP reinforced matrix composite and SiC matrix composite has been developed by using hand layup and resin casting methods respectively. The GFRP reinforced polymer composite is made by sandwiching two layers of GFRP in between the SiC material. The resin used for the preparation the samples are epoxy and polyester, for both SiC/GFRP composite and SiC composite. An Arcan fixture with butterfly specimen is used to measure the fracture occurring in various modes of the polymer composite. The objective of the proposed testing method is to determine the variation in the stress value depending on the resin material as well as the influence of GFRP in the strength of SiC polymer composite. Results from the tests are analyzed to show that the epoxy resin is better for tensile strength, in both Sic/GFRP reinforced and SiC composite material.

Abstract: Bio-composites are taking over the polymer based composites due to their multi fold advantages. In this work, the natural fibre (jute-hemp) hybrid composite was prepared by traditional hand-lay-up method. The hardness, tensile and flexural properties of the composite specimen was evaluated in order to study the effect of fibres and fibre orientations using standard procedures. A significant improvement in hardness (114RHN), tensile (79.13mpa) and flexural (120.06mpa) properties were observed with fibre orientation of 90⁰ compare to 30⁰ & 45⁰ orientations. Specific gravity test were conducted by using ASTM D792 standard at the temperature of 23⁰c. The specific gravity was found to increase for 90⁰ orientation of the fibre in the composite. It is also observed that the polyester based hybrid composite exhibits higher values of mechanical properties compared to epoxy based hybrid composites.

Abstract: Nowadays the use of composites is increased in various fields because of the favourable properties such as light weight, high stiffness and strength when compared to other materials. In the past few years natural fibres are being used due to their eco-friendly nature and lower costs. In this work, natural fibre composite panels are prepared using Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) resin as matrix and Teak wood saw dust as reinforcing material. Three set of samples have been made by varying the amount of resin by keeping the quantity of Teak wood saw dust as constant, to investigate the mechanical properties of the new composite.

Abstract: Advancement in Science and technology over the past decade has made the human society to venture into using hybrid materials for variety of applications. Natural fiber composite materials are one among those new emerging engineering materials. These materials are finding increased usage due to their low cost and eco-friendly nature. This paper deals with the fabrication and characterization of abaca, flax based hybrid composite. The properties of hybrid composites are compared to the composite containing any one of the constitutional fibers of hybrid composite. The characterisation is based on behaviour of composite under various mechanical testing. The tests include double shear strength and Hardness. The inner filament brakeage and crack propagation are studied using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).

Abstract: Polymeric materials reinforced with synthetic fibres such as glass provide advantage of high stiffness and high strength to weight ratio. Despite these advantages, the widespread use of synthetic fibre-reinforced polymer composite has a tendency to decline because of their high-initial cost and most importantly their adverse environmental impact. In this work, four different composites are prepared with untreated coconut fibres, NaOH mercerized coconut fibres, KOH mercerized coconut fibres and CSM glass fibres. A lot of studies are done earlier on NaOH mercerized coconut fibre composites. But, no studies are done specifically for KOH mercerized coconut fibre composites. So, KOH mercerized coconut fibre composites are prepared in this study. General purpose polyester resin is used for preparing all the compsites. The mechanical properties of composites are studied using the flexural test, impact test and tensile test. The mechanical properties of KOH mercerized coconut fibre composites are studied and compared with the mechanical properties of NaOH mercerized coconut fibre composites, untreated coconut fibre composites and CSM glass fibre composites.

Abstract: In the present scenario, composites are beginning to play a major role in day to day applications. Suitable properties can be imparted by selection or orientation of fibers during the manufacturing process. This paper demonstrates the natural composites made up of Manila as reinforcing agent with epoxy resin as matrix enclosed between glass fibers. Glass fibers, also known as woven rovings, are used to improve the surface finish and provide better strength and rigidity to the composite. Using hand lay-up method, fibers of Manila are arranged in alternate layers. The strength of composites depends on the fiber-matrix interfacial bonding. Three composite samples are prepared and mechanical stability of the composite is determined by tensile test. It is seen that there is not much variation in the ultimate strength of the three samples. On an average, it is found that average break load of the composite is 4.8 KN and the corresponding displacement is 9.08 mm. All the three samples exhibit almost similar elongation of about 18 % and the average ultimate tensile strength is 31.66 MPa. The reason for uniform tensile properties is due to a homogeneous distribution of fibers in all the three samples.

Abstract: In conventional method of coagulation acetic acid or formic acid is used. A novel method is reported in which yeast is used for the coagulation. Short Caryota fibres of 10mm size were used for making composites of natural rubber (NR) and samples were prepared by two methods. In the first method fibres were added at the dry stage while compounding and in the second method fibres were added directly to the latex and cure characteristics and mechanical properties were studied. Tensile modulus@300% elongation, tear strength and abrasion resistance were found to be better in latex stage processing.

Abstract: The present work investigates the effect of hybridization of sugarcane bagasse and banana fibers as reinforcements in the polymer matrix. Composites made from natural fibers possess favourable properties like low cost, light weight, high strength and eco-friendly nature compared to synthetic fibers. Structural applications such as aerospace and automobile industries moving towards the use of these natural composites. In this research work two lightweight composite materials were developed, one with a linear pattern and other with chopped pattern of sugarcane bagasse and banana fiber reinforcements. The developed composites were subjected to different tests to investigate their mechanical behaviour. Both the developed specimens were investigated for their tensile strength, hardness, and water absorption capacity and compared their behaviour. It is observed from the test results, the composite with the chopped fiber reinforcement possess better mechanical properties compared to the linear reinforcement.