Experimental Investigation on Mechanical Properties of A/GFRP, B/GFRP and AB/GFRP Polymer Composites

This study aims to reveal the consequence of thickness reinforcement on Fiber Laminates (Polyester Resin, Glass Fiber, Aluminum, and Bentonite) and to see if it can enhance the mechanical properties and resistance of laminates. Glass fiber reinforced polymer composites have recently been used in automotive, aerospace, and structural applications where they will be safe for the application s unique shape. Hand layup was used to fabricate three different combinations, including Aluminium /Glass fiber reinforced polyester composites (A/GFRP), Bentonite/Glass fiber reinforced polyester composites (B/GFRP), and Aluminium&Bentonie/Glass fiber reinforced polyester composites (AB/GFRP). Results revealed that AB/GFRP had better tensile strength, flexural strength, and hardness than GFRP and A/GFRP. Under normal atmospheric conditions and after exposure to boiling water, hybrid Aluminium&Bentonite and glass fiber-reinforced nanocomposites have improved mechanical properties than other hybrid composites. After exposure to temperature, the flexural strength, tensile strength and stiffness of AB/GFRP Composites are 40 % higher than A/GFRP and 17.44% higher than B/GFRP Composites.

Effect of Graphene Nanoplatelets on Water Absorption Properties of Coconut Shell Reinforced Unsaturated Polyester Composites

Coconut shell (CS) reinforced unsaturated polyester (UPE) composites have been prepared by using hand lay-up and compression molding techniques. To improve fiber-matrix adhesion, the CS was chemically treated by two chemical treatments, which are alkali (NaOH) and alkali-silane with concentration NaOH (6%) and silane (2%). To enhance the performance of CS-UPE composites, graphene nano platelets (GNP) was also added as nanofiller. The water absorption tests were conducted to characterize the physical properties of the composites. The result shows that water absorption increases with the increasing GNP. The more adding of GNP fillers’ weight percentages, the higher the water absorption will be getting.

Investigation of water and heat response to the compression property of raffia, bamboo and coconut fiber-reinforced-polyester composites

The dearth of construction materials has been the bane of the global construction industry. In a bid to curb this menace, it becomes very imperative to source for construction materials from discarded and least costly materials from raffia, bamboo and coconut fibers. This research investigates the hydrothermal response of plant fiber-reinforced-polyester composites (PFRC). Imperical methods were used to determine the mechanical properties of PFRC (bamboo, raffia and coconut fiber composites), with the usage of Monasanto Tensometer testing machine. All the samples were chemically modified with 12.5g of sodium hydroxide. Numerical and micro-soft excel graphics were used to model compressive responses of the PFRCs. From the analyses, the compressive strengths of raffia, bamboo and coconut composites are 40, 45 and 38MPa respectively.

Mechanical properties of polyester/corn husk fibre composite produced using vacuum infusion technique

Issues pertaining to deforestation, environmental pollution and natural wastes are increasing day by day. These issues can be resolved by introducing a new composite material, in which natural waste is used as fibre and as a replacement of wood plastic composite. The different lengths (3, 6 and 9 cm) of corn husk fibre filled polyester composites were produced using the vacuum infusion method. Several mechanical properties of these polyester composites, such as tensile and flexural properties, were evaluated. The results revealed that both the tensile and flexural properties of polyester composites increased with increment of corn husk fibre length from 3 to 6 cm. However, the results decreased for 9 cm of fibre length filled composites. Similar trends were recorded after alkali treatment of the corn husk fibre filled polyester composites. The alkali treatment with sodium hydroxide had improved the tensile strength (33%), Young’s modulus (23%), elongation (14%), flexural strength (42%) and flexural modulus (8.5%) of the polyester/corn husk fibre composites with 6 cm of fibre length by enhancing the mechanical interlocking bonding between treated corn husk fibres and polyester.