Investigating the Shear Strength Characteristic of Clayey Soil by Using Coir Fiber & Brick Dust

Soil is main part of every building and structure, without soil no structure could stand up. Soil plays a vital role in the constructure of every structure. If soil is strong in shear strength the building above it will also safe from failure/collapse. So, strength of soil is necessary is the construction of foundation, piers, dams, roads and multistory buildings.To increase the strength of soil we have different choices as to replace the weak soil with the strong soil, or to add other materials in soil to increase its strength like cement, lime etc. This study helps in increasing the shear strength of soil by using brick dust and coir fiber which are waste material but can provide sufficient strength.We use the clayey soil from Nandipur, which is weak in nature. Brick dust obtain from a kiln in Faisalabad and coir fiber which are easily available and economical. Direct shear test is performed to find shear strength and its parameters, CBR is performed to find the bearing capacity of soil and Modified proctor test is used to find out the optimum moisture content and maximum dry density of soil. We perform direct shear test at different percentages of brick dust to find optimum percentage of brick dust and then at this optimum brick dust percentage we vary the percentage of coir fiber to find its optimum value and also CBR for the varying percentage of coir fiber.

The improvement of physicomechanical, flame retardant, and thermal properties of lignocellulosic material filled polymer composites

In this study, the effects of alkali and silane coupling agents and coir fiber (CF) loading on the fundamental properties of the CF-filled polypropylene (PP) composites were investigated. Mechanical properties of the PP/CF composites, such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, impact strength, and water absorption were increased by the increase of the CF loading. The inclusion of 3-aminopropyl trimethoxy silane (ATS) and tetramethoxy orthosilicate (TOS) after the alkali pretreatment for the CF increased all the mechanical properties and water desorption of the resulting composites. This trend was more evident with the increase in CF loading. The best results were obtained for PP/TOS composites as compared to other composites. SEM images of fractured samples show improved adhesion between CF and PP matrix after treatment with ATS and TOS. The horizontal rate of combustion is significantly reduced with the inclusion of Mg(OH)2 in PP/ATS and PP/TOS composites. DSC results show improved crystallization temperature, melting temperature, and melting enthalpy as compared with virgin PP. The addition of ATS and TOS after the alkali pretreatment improved the thermal stability of the resultant composites. TOS-modified CF composites showed better resistance than ATS-modified CF composites in water medium.

Investigating the Mechanical Behavior of 3D Printed PLA-Coco Coir Composites

It is quite amazing that the use of 3D printing techniques, especially the Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) has delivered such significance in terms of cost reduction, time saver features where a different variety of thermoplastic and composite materials (Biodegradable and Non-biodegradable) are well developed. Different sectors have continually developed natural organic materials that are also both structurally composite in nature. Similarly, the use of different fibers that are abundantly accessible and considered as renewable resources which can be optionally combined with other biodegradable materials is a great challenge through the use of the FDM printing method. The study aims to determine the effect of different particle size and raster angle at a certain fiber concentration which could affect the mechanical properties of the composite by developing a printable composite filament made of Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Coco Coir materials using a filament maker and FDM printer. The composite filament was fabricated and optimized using a twin-screw extruder and 3D Devo Filament maker. 3D printing of samples for mechanical testing was conducted using three (3) raster angles (45o, 60o, and 75o) and various particle sizes of coco coir fiber reinforcement in the PLA matrix. Results showed that the < 74μm particle size of the coco-coir exhibited a 24% and 175% increase in tensile strength and izod impact strength compared to the pure PLA at 60o and 75o raster angles, respectively. Likewise, the reinforcement of <149μm particle size coco coir at 45o raster angle contributes to an increase of 4.8% flexural and 176% compressive strength compared to pure PLA. The study concludes that there is an improvement in the mechanical properties of the PLA-Coco Coir composite at a certain particle size and raster angle in 3D printing.

Synthesis and Characterization of Polypropylene/Ramie Fiber with Hemp Fiber and Coir Fiber Natural Biopolymer Composite for Biomedical Application

In the current scenario, many natural fibers available in the world can be used in various applications in the day-to-day life of biomedical products, automobile parts, industrial products, etc. Biocomposites can replace or serve as a framework allowing the regeneration of traumatized, degenerated tissues, and organs, thus, improving the patients’ quality of life. This research work is aimed at fabricating and investigating the natural biopolymer composites for biomedical applications. There are two sets of fiber composites fabricated in this research work. Ramie fiber considers a common base fiber for both composites. Hemp fibers and coir fibers were considered as filler in this research work. Biodegradable and bioresorbable polypropylene resins are used to fabricate the biocomposite using the compression moulding technique. Different proportion specimen mechanical properties were compared for bone fixtures and joint applications. The contour plots and bar charts were plotted to identify the variations in the volume percentage. The individual fiber specimens also have significant properties when compared with the composite fibers. Then, the individual superior property-based combinations such as hemp and coir fiber mixed with biodegradable and bioresorbable polypropylene/ramie fiber were recommended to produce joints and bone fixtures to alleviate pain for patients.