Energy absorption capacities of kenaf fibre-reinforced epoxy composite elliptical cones with circumferential holes

Abstract

In the present study, the influence of circumferential holes on the energy absorption capacity and load carrying ability of kenaf fibre-reinforced composite elliptic tubes was experimentally investigated. A series of experiments were performed for composite elliptical tubes with different circumferential perforations (0, 4, 6 and 8 holes). This range is suitable for obtaining the adjusted distance. Kenaf fibre matte foam was used in this study due to several advantages, such as low cost, low health risk, light weight, and availability. The kenaf was 4 mm thick with a density of 0.17 g/cm 3 . To investigate the influence of circumferential holes on the energy absorption capability, a pseudo static axial crash test was independently performed on these samples. The results showed that the structure failed in progressive failure mode and showed crushing failure with longitudinal cracks. The test results revealed that the specific energy assimilated by the compound elliptical tube with 8 circumferential holes showed the highest mean crushing stress value compared with other compound elliptical tubes.

Kenaf Reinforced PLA Composite Thermoforming: A Numerical Simulation

“…Green composite materials have attracted a great deal of attention; especially in industrial and research fields. The benefits of applying these types of materials have already been recognized as an alternative to conventional automotive components (Alkateb et al 2017). Focus on using natural fibers has grown rapidly, as this biodegradable green composite material is able to minimize global warming issues (Hao, Yuan & Chen 2015).…”

Kenaf Composites for Automotive Components: Enhancement in Machinability and Moldability

“…For epoxy composites, the tensile strength decreased as the kenaf fibres loading increased, predominantly because of the poor matrix adhesion and unbonding between the matrix and fibres [34]. At higher fibre loadings, the fibres tends to overshadow the epoxy resin, which further defects the composites [1,10]. According to studies conducted using kenaf/epoxy materials, as the fibres increased above 15 wt %, the treated composites were unable to act as a surface coating due to the failure in the formation of the mechanical interlocked coating.…”

“…The results indicate that the kenaf composite–reinforced CNT exhibited higher impact strength with 8.5 kJ/m 2 at 33 wt % of kenaf fibre compared to the addition of CNT and MAPP with 7 kJ/m 2 . According to the results obtained, as the sizes of the additive decreases, the contact resistance between them is thus enhanced, leading to lower mechanical properties [6,10].…”

“…On the other hand, these composite materials usually embedded as a components such as battery tray, engine cover and else which contribute consumer-preferred vehicles that offer energy saving and green technology [6,7,8]. This rapid growth in the use of natural fibres like kenaf composites over conventional materials is undeniable as they possess excellent mechanical properties [7,9,10].…”

“…These treatments modify the fibre structure, which repairs the mechanical bonding to the polymers. Thus, researchers have focused on improving and investigating which polymer is suitable to be used in kenaf composites for both thermosets and thermoplastics [10,17].…”