Flax fiber reinforced polylactic acid composites for non-structural engineering applications: Effect of molding temperature and fiber volume fraction on its mechanical properties

2021 ◽  
pp. 096739112110251
Author(s):  
Jai Inder Preet Singh ◽  
Sehijpal Singh ◽  
Vikas Dhawan ◽  
Piyush Gulati
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Structural Engineering ◽  
Fiber Volume Fraction ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Matrix Material ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Poly Lactic Acid ◽  
Fiber Volume ◽  
Engineering Applications ◽  
Molding Temperature

Owing to its biodegradability, durability, low cost and potential material to replace existing commercial products in the field of engineering applications, nowadays there is a lot of interest in the field of green composites. It is formed by a mixture of biodegradable polymers and natural fibers and has a potential to replace synthetic polymer based composites. In this research work flax fibers are used as reinforcement and Poly-lactic acid (PLA) as matrix material for the development of Flax/PLA composites. The effects of processing parameters such as fiber volume fraction ranging from 25% to 50% and molding temperature ranging from 160°C to 180°C on mechanical properties of flax/PLA composites were investigated. It is concluded from the results that maximum tensile and flexural strength are recorded at 35% fiber volume fraction of flax/PLA composites developed at 170°C molding temperature. SEM analysis validated the findings obtained from the mechanical characterization.

Influence of fiber volume fraction and curing temperature on mechanical properties of jute/PLA green composites

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-284
Author(s):  
Jai Inder Preet Singh ◽  
Sehijpal Singh ◽  
Vikas Dhawan
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Flexural Strength ◽  
Fiber Volume Fraction ◽  
Natural Fiber ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Matrix Material ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Curing Temperature ◽  
Green Composites ◽  
Fiber Volume

Rising environmental concerns and depletion of petrochemical resources have resulted in an increased interest in biodegradable natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites. In this research work, jute fiber has been used as a reinforcement and polylactic acid (PLA) as the matrix material to develop jute/PLA green composites with the help of compression molding technique. The effect of fiber volume fraction ranging from 25% to 50% and curing temperature ranging from 160°C to 180°C on different samples were investigated for mechanical properties and water absorption. Results obtained from various tests indicate that with an increase in the fiber volume fraction, tensile and flexural strength increases till 30% fiber fraction, thereafter decreases with further increase in fiber content. Maximum tensile and flexural strength of jute/PLA composites was obtained with 30% fiber volume fraction at 160°C curing temperature. The trend obtained from mechanical properties is further justified through the study of surface morphology using scanning electron microscopy.

scholarly journals Mechanical and Biodegradation Behaviour of Jute/ Polylactic Acid Green Composites

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-57
Author(s):  
Jai Inder Preet Singh ◽  
Sehijpal Singh
Keyword(s):  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Matrix Material ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Curing Temperature ◽  
Poly Lactic Acid ◽  
Green Composites ◽  
Compression Moulding ◽  
Fiber Volume ◽  
Degradation Behaviour ◽  
Soil Burial

Global warming, diminution of fossil fuels, escalating oil price’s are the major reasons which forces the researchers to develop green products for the sustainable development. In this research work, green composites have been developed with jute fibers as reinforcement and poly lactic acid as matrix material using compression moulding technique. All composites were developed with maintaining the reinforcement as 30% fiber volume fraction. The influence of curing temperature with the range of 160°C, 170°C and 180°C was investigated for various mechanical properties of developed composites and degradation behaviour of developed composites were analysed using soil burial test. Results acquired from the tests specify that the tensile and flexural strength decreases with upsurge in curing temperature. Morphology study using scanning electron microscopy is further justified the findings obtained from mechanical tests. Biodegradation study was done on the all the three different composites under the soil burial conditions for 9 months and results indicate that composites developed at 160°C degrade faster as compared to others. This study also gives an optimum curing temperature for the development of jute/PLA composites.

Monitoring of mechanical properties of prestressed glass fiber epoxy composites over 12 months after fabrication

2021 ◽  
pp. 002199832110047
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Mohamed ◽  
Siddhartha Brahma ◽  
Haibin Ning ◽  
Selvum Pillay
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Residual Stress ◽  
Flexural Strength ◽  
Compressive Residual Stress ◽  
Fiber Volume Fraction ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Epoxy Composites ◽  
Flexural Properties ◽  
Initial Increase ◽  
Fiber Volume

Fiber prestressing during matrix curing can significantly improve the mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced polymer composites. One primary reason behind this improvement is the generated compressive residual stress within the cured matrix, which impedes cracks initiation and propagation. However, the prestressing force might diminish progressively with time due to the creep of the compressed matrix and the relaxation of the tensioned fiber. As a result, the initial compressive residual stress and the acquired improvement in mechanical properties are prone to decline over time. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the mechanical properties of the prestressed composites as time proceeds. This study monitors the change in the tensile and flexural properties of unidirectional prestressed glass fiber reinforced epoxy composites over a period of 12 months after manufacturing. The composites were prepared using three different fiber volume fractions 25%, 30%, and 40%. The results of mechanical testing showed that the prestressed composites acquired an initial increase up to 29% in the tensile properties and up to 32% in the flexural properties compared to the non-prestressed counterparts. Throughout the 12 months of study, the initial increase in both tensile and flexural strength showed a progressive reduction. The loss ratio of the initial increase was observed to be inversely proportional to the fiber volume fraction. For the prestressed composites fabricated with 25%, 30%, and 40% fiber volume fraction, the initial increase in tensile and flexural strength dropped by 29%, 25%, and 17%, respectively and by 34%, 26%, and 21%, respectively at the end of the study. Approximately 50% of the total loss took place over the first month after the manufacture, while after the sixth month, the reduction in mechanical properties became insignificant. Tensile modulus started to show a very slight reduction after the fourth/sixth month, while the flexural modulus reduction was observed from the beginning. Although the prestressed composites displayed time-dependent losses, their long-term mechanical properties still outperformed the non-prestressed counterparts.

Determination of fiber volume fraction in a cured laminate

2021 ◽  
pp. 002199832110112
Author(s):  
Qing Yang Steve Wu ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Weng Heng Liew ◽  
Vincent Lim ◽  
Xiping Ni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Fiber ◽  
Fiber Volume Fraction ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Matrix Material ◽  
Volume Ratio ◽  
Gravimetric Analysis ◽  
Fiber Volume ◽  
Laser Ultrasonic ◽  
The Matrix

Propagation of ultrasonic wave in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) is greatly influenced by the material’s matrix, resins and fiber volume ratio. Laser ultrasonic broadband spectral technique has been demonstrated for porosity and fiber volume ratio extraction on unidirection aligned CFRP laminates. Porosity in the matrix materials can be calculated by longitudinal wave attenuation and accurate fiber volume ratio can be derived by combined velocity through the high strength carbon fiber and the matrix material with further consideration of porosity effects. The results have been benchmarked by pulse-echo ultrasonic tests, gas pycnometer and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The potentials and advantages of the laser ultrasonic technique as a non-destructive evaluation method for CFRP carbon fiber volume fraction evaluation were demonstrated.

Performance of Bamboo Fiber Reinforced Composites: Mechanical Properties

2021 ◽  
Vol 879 ◽  
pp. 284-293
Author(s):  
Norliana Bakar ◽  
Siew Choo Chin
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Tensile Strength ◽  
Vinyl Ester ◽  
Fiber Volume Fraction ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Bamboo Fiber ◽  
Synthetic Fiber ◽  
Fiber Reinforced ◽  
Fiber Volume ◽  
Volume Fractions

Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) made from synthetic fiber had been widely used for strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) structures in the past decades. Due to its high cost, detrimental to the environment and human health, natural fiber composites becoming the current alternatives towards a green and environmental friendly material. This paper presents an investigation on the mechanical properties of bamboo fiber reinforced composite (BFRC) with different types of resins. The BFRC specimens were prepared by hand lay-up method using epoxy and vinyl-ester resins. Bamboo fiber volume fractions, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45% and 50% was experimentally investigated by conducting tensile and flexural test, respectively. Results showed that the tensile and flexural strength of bamboo fiber reinforced epoxy composite (BFREC) was 63.2% greater than the bamboo fiber reinforced vinyl-ester composite (BFRVC). It was found that 45% of bamboo fiber volume fraction on BFREC exhibited the highest tensile strength compared to other BFRECs. Meanwhile, 40% bamboo fiber volume fraction of BFRVC showed the highest tensile strength between bamboo fiber volume fractions for BFRC using vinyl-ester resin. Studies showed that epoxy-based BFRC exhibited excellent results compared to the vinyl-ester-based composite. Further studies are required on using BFRC epoxy-based composite in various structural applications and strengthening purposes.

Effects of Fiber Volume Fraction on Mechanical Properties of SiC-Fiber/Si3N4-Matrix Composites

1994 ◽  
Vol 77 (7) ◽  
pp. 1897-1900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hockin H. K. Xu ◽  
Claudia P. Ostertag ◽  
Linda M. Braun ◽  
Isabel K. Lloyd
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Fiber Volume Fraction ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Matrix Composites ◽  
Fiber Volume ◽  
Sic Fiber ◽  
Si3n4 Matrix

Biomimetic composites inspired by venous leaf

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 361-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gongdai Liu ◽  
R Ghosh ◽  
A Vaziri ◽  
A Hossieni ◽  
D Mousanezhad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Elastic Modulus ◽  
Yield Stress ◽  
Poisson’S Ratio ◽  
Composite Structures ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Matrix Material ◽  
Poisson's Ratio ◽  
Fiber Volume ◽  
Young’S Moduli

A typical plant leaf can be idealized as a composite having three principal fibers: the central mid-fiber corresponding to the mid-rib, straight parallel secondary fibers attached to the mid-fiber representing the secondary veins, and then another set of parallel fibers emanating from the secondary fibers mimicking the tertiary fibers embedded in a matrix material. This paper introduces a biomimetic composite design inspired by the morphology of venous leafs and investigates the effects of venation morphologies on the in-plane mechanical properties of the biomimetic composites using finite element method. The mechanical properties such as Young’s moduli, Poisson’s ratio, and yield stress under uniaxial loading of the resultant composite structures was studied and the effect of different fiber architectures on these properties was investigated. To this end, two broad types of architectures were used both having similar central main fiber but differing in either having only secondary fibers or additional tertiary fibers. The fiber and matrix volume fractions were kept constant and a comparative parametric study was carried out by varying the inclination of the secondary fibers. The results show that the elastic modulus of composite in the direction of main fiber increases linearly with increasing the angle of the secondary fibers. Furthermore, the elastic modulus is enhanced if the secondary fibers are closed, which mimics composites with closed cellular fibers. In contrast, the elastic modulus of composites normal to the main fiber ( x direction) exponentially decreases with the increase of the angle of the secondary fibers and it is little affected by having secondary fibers closed. Similar results were obtained for the yield stress of the composites. The results also indicate that Poisson’s ratio linearly increases with the secondary fiber angle. The results also show that for a constant fiber volume fraction, addition of various tertiary fibers may not significantly enhance the mechanical properties of the composites. The mechanical properties of the composites are mainly dominated by the secondary fibers. Finally, a simple model was proposed to predict these behaviors.

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