There is more demand for natural fiber-reinforced composites in the energy sector, and their impact on the environment is almost zero. Natural fiber has plenty of advantages, such as easy recycling and degrading property, low density, and low price. Natural fiber’s thermal properties and flexural properties are less than conventional fiber. This work deals with the changes in the thermal properties and mechanical properties of S-glass reinforced with a sodium hydroxide-treated pineapple leaf (PALF) and banana stem fibers. Banana stem and pineapple leaf fibers (PALF) were used at various volume fractions, i.e., 30%, 40%, and 50%, and various fiber lengths of 20 cm, 30 cm, and 40 cm with S-glass, and their effects on the thermal and mechanical properties were studied, and their optimum values were found. It was evidenced that increasing the fiber volume and fiber length enhanced the flexural and thermal properties up to 40% of the fiber volume, and started to decrease at 50% of the fiber volume. The fiber length provides an affirmative effect on the flexural properties and a pessimistic effect on the thermal properties. The PALF S-glass combination of 40% fiber load and 40 cm fiber length provides maximum flexural strength, flexural modulus, storage modulus, and lowest loss modulus based on hybrid Taguchi grey relational optimization techniques. PALF S-glass hybrid composite has been found to have 7.80%, 3.44%, 1.17% higher flexural strength, flexural modulus, and loss modulus, respectively, and 15.74% lower storage modulus compared to banana S-glass hybrid composite.

Aging temperature history has profound effect on the mechanical and corrosion behavior of 6061 Al/SiC composite. In order to understand the effect of aging on the corrosion resistance, the natural and artificial aging behavior of 15 vol. % 6061 Al-SiCP composites was studied using the aging treatment and the Brinell hardness measurements. The aging curves for the composite (T6 treated) were determined at various aging temperatures such as room temperature, 140, 160, 180, 200, 220, and 240°C. According to the peak hardness variation with temperature profile, it is found that the composite is underaged at 140°C and 160°C. Peak aging takes place at 180°C. Overaging takes place at 200°C, 220°C, and 240°C. The natural aging characteristics of the composite (T4 treated) are also studied using the Brinell hardness measurements.

No abstract

No abstract

The rate of amalgam decomposition in a laboratory tower decomposer with 40% normalNaOH was measured at 80°C in dependence on concentration and rate of flow of the amalgam. The dependence of the reaction rate on the rate of flow shows a maximum, which was explained theoretically and the constants in the equation for the rate of decomposition were evaluated. The bed material consists of graphite balls.