Mechanical Properties Evauation Of Alumina Filled Banana Fiber Polyester Composite

Abstract

The Rising Need Of Eco-Friendly, Low Density, Stiff And Light Weight Products In Today??S World Leads To The Development Of Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites To Suit Various Applications In The Field Of Construction, Manufacturing, And Automotive. Composite Consists Of Two Phases Fiber And Matrix, Where Each Of This Has Significant Advantages. In This Study, Small Scale Laboratory Composite Was Fabricated By Simple Hand Layup Method Using Polyester As Matrix And Nano Alumina Powder Of Particle Size ??? 50nm And Banana Fiber As Reinforcing Materials. During Preparation Of Specimens, The Fiber Was Taken As Random Orientation With Length Of (10mm, 15mm And 20mm) And Treated With 0%, 2.5% And 5%Naoh Solution. Nine Samples Were Made By Varying The Weight Percentage Of Banana Fiber(10wt.%, 15wt.% And 20wt.%) And Nano Alumina Powder (2wt.%, 4wt.% And 6wt.%). Tests Were Conducted To Evaluate Mechanical And Physical Properties Such As Tensile, Flexural, Impact Strength, Hardness, Water Absorption, Void Fraction, Microstructural Analysis And Machinability Of The Composite. Taguchi Based Grey Relational Analysis Was Used To Develop A Statistical Model To Describe The Relationship Between Physical And Mechanical Properties Of Composite; Independent Parameters Were Selected To Optimize The Process Parameters. The Maximum Tensile, Flexural And Impact Strength Were 61.74mpa, 108.47mpa And 19kj/M2Respectively At 15wt.% Fiber Loading, 2wt.% Al2o3, 15mm Length And 5% Alkali Treatment. The Minimum Tensile Strength Was 23.7mpa For Untreated Fiber Reinforced Composite. Maximum Hardness Was 164 Hv For Untreated 20mm Length, 4wt.% Alumina And 15wt.%Fiber Loading. The Minimum Water Absorption Rate Was 2.97% Obtained At 10wt.% Fiber Loading, 6wt.% Al2o3, 20mm Fiber Length And 5%Naoh Concentration. Smaller Void Content Of 0.98 Was Obtained For Untreated 10 Wt.% Fiber Loading, 2 Wt.% Al2o3 And Length Of 20mm.Morphological Analysis Depicted Alkali Treated Fiber Reinforced Composites Showed Better Bonding And Void Content Due To Surface Modification. Drilled Holes Had Better Surface Finish For 10mm Length Fiber At Lower Fiber Loading. The Optimum Combination Obtained Through Taguchi Based Grey Relational Analysis Was 15 Wt.% Fiber Loading, 2wt.% Al2o3, 15mm Fiber Length And 5%Naoh Concentration. The Investigation Revealed The Suitability Of Chopped Banana Fiber As An Effective Reinforcement In Composite Materials. The Developed Composite Material Had Good Mechanical And Metallurgical Properties Besides High Strength To Weight Ratio.