No abstract

The use of fibres is constantly expanding to satisfy the demands of various industries.Both synthetic and natural fibresoffer benefits that are best suited tospecific applications. Synthetic fibresare preferablethan the natural fibresbecause they have greater mechanical properties. However, in their application, synthetic fibresnegatively influencethe environment as they are non-biodegradablematerial. Asa result, the demand and usage of natural fibreskeep increasing as an alternativeto the synthetic fibres. The usage of natural fibres reducesnegative impact on the environmental, though their properties are not as good as synthetic fibres. ANSYS APDL, one of the FEA analysis software, is used to perform quasi-static indentation (QSI)testmodellingin this research work. The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of fibreorientations of 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, and 90°, as well as the effect of the supporting ply angle, 0°, on the mechanical properties of Flax FRP composite. For layup sequences of [(+θ, -θ)2]Sand [(±θ)2,04]S, it was observed that maximum strength increases from 0° to 90° fibreorientation. Meanwhile, in a QSI test, the highest strength of Flax FRP was found at 45° for both [(+θ, -θ)2]Sand [(±θ)2,04]Slayup sequences, with 94.20 MPa and 96.80 MPa,respectively. The effect of fibrevolume fraction(Vf), such as Glass FRP composites with fibrevolume fractions of 30% and 60%,shows that the fibrevolume fraction for 60% has a better performance than 30%. Therefore, composites with a higher fibrevolume fraction show better maximum strength and lower deformability. The results of modellingand simulation work on Flax FRP composites can aid in developingnew materials that are more sustainable than conventional techniques by anticipating the mechanical behaviourof natural FRP composites.

Skin is an important organ which provides multiple functions. Thus, if skin fails i.e. due to burns or diseases, body will lose the protection provided by skin against infections and the harmful outer environment. Due to that, synthetic skin is seen as a very important alternative in the future. A number of studies have been carried out to understand skin’s basic functions and behaviour as its mechanical properties and behaviour are important in various fields. Nevertheless, to date no breakthrough has been reported. Therefore, this paper aims to briefly review and outline a framework which ultimately will lead to the synthesising silicone-hydrogel materials that potentially becoming a skin substitute. The newly synthesised composite materials will be tested mechanically to characterise its behaviour based on Ogden hyperelastic model. It could be emphasised that the present study is significant and will contribute to the body of knowledge in the area of skin mechanics.

This paper aims to analyse the performance of impedance pump that uses energy mismatch to drive fluid flow. The experimental setup mainly focus to establish the relationship between the fluids flow rates in elastic tube section connected between two ends of solid tube and pinch mechanism location as well as fluid viscosity. Measurement of fluid flow rate or representation of its velocities resulting from the pumping mechanism is measured using two different supply voltage and constant pincher width. These measured parameters resulting from the pinch mechanism of the elastic tube section were varied at different pinch location along itsx-axis direction; divided into two main cases namely (1) 2 V and (2) 3 V at 40 mm to 140 mm pinch location. From the voltage variation, it is found that the maximum flow rate given by voltage 3.0 V at pinch location 40 mm while for the effect of viscosity, the highest flow rate is 93 ml/min. The profiles obtained revealed the characteristic of valve less pump to be the new model of new Ventricular Assist Device use in cardiac patient as well as further explanation about the factor that influence the characteristic of elastic tube.

A surge inthe use of fibre reinforcedcomposites for biodegradable materials, which include both synthetic and natural fibres, to fulfil the strength requirements of composites while also being environmentally friendly has resulted in the use of these materials becoming increasingly popular. Researchers have been working to improve natural fibre qualities to partially replace synthetic fibre, even though not entirely. The research can be accomplished by modelling and simulation techniques, which are becoming more prevalent as technology advances. The approaches have the benefits of being efficient in addressing any material model, boundary conditions, and complicated form structure that may be encountered. This study uses ANSYS APDL, a finite element analysis tool, to carry out flexural test. These factors, as well as the fibre ply orientation, lay-up sequence, and fibre volume percentage, have an impact on the maximum stress of each composite, which are investigated in this study. In the lay-up sequence of [(+θ, -θ)2] s, with fibre ply orientation of 0 ̊ the maximum flexural stress obtains for glass/epoxy (vf=60%), glass epoxy (vf=30%), and jute/epoxy (vf=30%) is 214.64 MPa, 153.77 MPa, and 82.91 MPa and for fibre ply orientation of 90 ̊ the maximum bending stress is 55.41 MPa, 18.39 MPa and 8.37 MPa respectively. Furthermore, the impact of off-axis plies in the 0° fibre ply orientation can be observed in the maximum bending stress of the [θ4,04] s lay-up sequence, which is a function of the number of off-axis plies in the 0° fibre ply orientation. When using the lay-up sequence [904,04]s, the maximum flexural stress for glass/epoxy (vf=60%), glass/epoxy (vf=30%), and jute/epoxy (vf=30%) is 83.39 MPa, 23.04 MPa, and 17.92 MPa, respectively. When bending tests are performed, the 0° fibre ply orientation produces the highest maximum stress, followed by 45° and 90°. When comparing 0° plies composites with off-axis angles to plies composites, the lay-up sequence of 0° plies with off-axis angles exhibits the highest maximum stress.