Mechanical, thermal, and water absorption properties of hybrid short coconut tree primary flower leaf stalk fiber/glass fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester composites for biomedical applications

ABSTRACT The present study focuses on the possibility of using Ageratina Adenophora (AA) fiber as reinforcement in structural polymer composite materials because of its eco-friendly nature as well as lightweight. Due to high specific strength and modulus of fiber, reinforced polymer composites tend to be a viable option replace many metallic structures. By nature, synthetic fibers become a risk for health as it leads to cancer. Suitable applications replace conventional and synthetic materials, in cases where energy conservation and very little weight is required. Ageratina Adenophora stem fiber undergoes comprehensive characterization analysis such as Thermal Gravimetric Analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Physico-chemical analysis. The fibers were extracted from Ageratina Adenophora plant stem. Ageratina Adenophora Stem Fiber (AASF) contains high cellulose content of 65.7% and very little wax. Good thermal stability of the fiber up to 244°C was obtained from thermogravimetric analysis, which is indicated within its polymerization process temperature. The results of this investigation encourage its applications to be used in industries for manufacturing fiber reinforced composites.

Characterization Studies on New Natural Cellulosic Fiber Extracted from the Stem of Ageratina Adenophora Plant

Hybrid composites have proven endless benefits to the research communities in terms of environmental friendliness, mechanical properties, and development of new material. The present work explores the tensile, flexural, impact strengths, and water absorption properties of jute and palm leaf fiber-reinforced hybrid composites. Five types of hybrid composites were fabricated by varying jute and palm leaf fiber percentage of J100:P0, J25:P75, J50:P50, J25:P75, and J0:P100% with a constant weight ratio of polypropylene matrix. The findings showed that jute-palm leaf fiber-reinforced composite had positive effect on tensile, flexural, and impact strength. Experimental results showed that the J25:P75% (jute and palm leaf fiber) exhibited the highest tensile strength of 62.2 MPa and flexural strength of 82.26 MPa due to the optimal interfacial properties between the fibers and matrix. The impact strength of composites increased as the proportion of palm leaf fiber increased. Water absorption increased with jute fiber content, reaching a maximum of 1.26% at composite J100:P0, with lower water absorption at J0:P100% composite due to the higher moisture content of jute fiber.

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Mechanical and Water Absorption Properties of Jute/Palm Leaf Fiber-Reinforced Recycled Polypropylene Hybrid Composites

Investigation of static and dynamic mechanical properties of CPFLSF and PPLSFreinforced polyester hybrid composites

Stem cutting is the main process of broccoli harvesting, and the structure and mechanical properties of the stem significantly affect the cutting efficiency. In the current research, the structural characteristics and component contents of the broccoli stem are analyzed. Through different processing methods of stretching, compressing and bending, the aim is to obtain the parameters for mechanical properties of broccoli stem, and to provide basic data and reference for establishing visual models of broccoli stem. The test results show: The content of rind is highest in the middle of the stem, the content of xylem is highest in the bottom of the stem, and the content of pith is highest in the top of the stem. The densities of rind, xylem and pith of broccoli stem were 1056.1, 938.9 and 1009.9 kg·m−3, respectively. The elastic modulus of the rind of broccoli stem was 27.2~47.5 MPa, the elastic modulus of the xylem was 19.2~110.7 MPa, and the elastic modulus of the pith was 6.5~7.5 MPa. The compressive elastic modulus of the stem was 1.3~2 MPa. The bending strength of the broccoli stem was 6.9 MPa, and the bending modulus was 3.1 MPa. The mechanical model of broccoli stem established in this study provides a theoretical basis for cutting and other processes.

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Loading Model and Mechanical Properties of Mature Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. Var. Italica Plenck) Stems at Harvest

The research work is focused toward determining the static and dynamic mechanical properties of the composites made by reinforcing untreated and alkali-treated short palmyra palm leaf stalk fibers ...

Investigation of Static and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Short Palmyra Palm Leaf Stalk Fiber (PPLSF) Reinforced Polymer Composites

ABSTRACT This study deals with the extraction and testing of natural cellulose fibers obtained from the barks of Ziziphus nummularia (Burm. f.) Wight & Arn. plants. The extraction of Z. nummularia fibers from its plant barks was done by water retting. The extracted fibers were analyzed for their chemical, crystalline, thermal, mechanical, and physical properties. Surface characteristics of the fibers were examined using a scanning electron microscope and an atomic force microscope. The test results showed that cellulose content was 52.34%. The crystalline index was 45.77% whereas the crystallite size was 2.01 nm. Thermogravimetric analysis showed a maximum degradation temperature of 348°C. The morphological properties showed that Z. nummularia fibers had a good surface roughness that helps in forming interlocks with the matrix on its usage in polymer matrix composites.

Shanmugasundaram Natarajan

Papers

Investigation of Static and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Short Palmyra Palm Leaf Stalk Fiber (PPLSF) Reinforced Polymer Composites

Characterization of Natural Cellulose Fibers from the Barks of Ziziphus nummularia as a Reinforcement for Lightweight Composite Applications