Development and Experimental Investigation of Pigeon Pea Stalk Particle Reinforced Epoxy Composites and their Hybrid Composites for Lightweight Structural Applications

Abstract

The pigeon pea (PP) stalk is a sustainable lignocellulosic material left by the farmers after harvesting its pulses. The use of agricultural residue in the development of polymer composites is a step towards sustainability. This study focuses on developing and characterizing the mechanical properties (the tensile, flexural, interlaminar shear, compression, impact, and hardness) of less utilized agro-based PP stalk particle reinforced epoxy composites and their hybrid composites. In addition, the density, dynamic mechanical analysis, water absorption, and morphology were also investigated for a better understanding of these composites. In comparison to other agro-residue reinforced composites, PP stalk particles (up to 20 wt.%) reinforced epoxy composites have demonstrated comparable mechanical, viscoelastic, and water absorption characteristics. Jute/PP/epoxy and glass/PP/epoxy hybrid composites outperformed PP/epoxy composites in mechanical, dynamic, and water absorption characteristics. The ranking of the composites based on the characterization was done using the TOPSIS method, and glass/ PP/epoxy composite with a 20 wt.% was identified as the best performer among all the composites. The results demonstrated that PP stalk particle reinforced composites are a viable alternative to wood and other natural fiber-based composites and could be used in lightweight structural applications such as automotive interiors, furniture, packaging containers, and cascading applications.

Experimental investigation on three-body abrasive wear behaviour of novel natural cellulosic pigeon pea stalk fibre reinforced epoxy biocomposites

“…The literature survey cited above indicates that there is ample scope for understanding the abrasive wear mechanism of fibre loaded epoxy composites. Limited work has been done by the researchers on this abundantly available material compared to other agro-residue materials [31]. The ample availability of PP stalk material has encouraged the authors to investigate its potential use as reinforcement and study its composites for three-body abrasive wear characteristics.…”