“…Variable material behaviors or attributes, such as high flexural strength, can be obtained by changing its techniques of manufacture, ingredients, features, and so on to fit the intended use. [16][17][18]. Some of these composite materials' qualities, such as mechanical strength (tensile, flexural, impact), fracture toughness, and so on, have increased to the point where they can be compared to traditional materials like steel [2,19].…”
Due to their low density, natural fibers have increasingly found application in the development of systems such as wind turbine blades, airplane wing spar where flexural strength is a strong criterion for material selection. Although different researchers have studied the mechanical properties of such natural fiber composites, none has focused on the optimization of the flexural strength of pineapple leaf fiber (PALF)/glass fiber (GF) reinforced epoxy hybrid composite. This study applied the Taguchi and general regression analysis method in the optimization and modeling of the flexural strength of the P x G y E z composite. Flexural strength of 144.5 MPa at an optimum development parameter of PALF at 20% volume content, GF at 20% volume content, and fiber length of 25 mm. Analysis of variance and regression analysis was also employed to describe and model the flexural behavior of the developed composite. The PALF fiber showed to have a higher contribution to the flexural strength of the material. The equation developed to model the flexural behavior of the material showed a good correlation between the simulated value and the experimental values of the flexural strength at different combinations of manufacturing parameters.
“…Variable material behaviors or attributes, such as high flexural strength, can be obtained by changing its techniques of manufacture, ingredients, features, and so on to fit the intended use. [16][17][18]. Some of these composite materials' qualities, such as mechanical strength (tensile, flexural, impact), fracture toughness, and so on, have increased to the point where they can be compared to traditional materials like steel [2,19].…”
Due to their low density, natural fibers have increasingly found application in the development of systems such as wind turbine blades, airplane wing spar where flexural strength is a strong criterion for material selection. Although different researchers have studied the mechanical properties of such natural fiber composites, none has focused on the optimization of the flexural strength of pineapple leaf fiber (PALF)/glass fiber (GF) reinforced epoxy hybrid composite. This study applied the Taguchi and general regression analysis method in the optimization and modeling of the flexural strength of the P x G y E z composite. Flexural strength of 144.5 MPa at an optimum development parameter of PALF at 20% volume content, GF at 20% volume content, and fiber length of 25 mm. Analysis of variance and regression analysis was also employed to describe and model the flexural behavior of the developed composite. The PALF fiber showed to have a higher contribution to the flexural strength of the material. The equation developed to model the flexural behavior of the material showed a good correlation between the simulated value and the experimental values of the flexural strength at different combinations of manufacturing parameters.
“…Thus, we can summarize that the properties of the recycled PP/natural fiber composites can be tailored to the requirement of final product. 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 …”
The crucial role of face masks is highlighted in our day‐to‐day life during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Polypropylene (PP)‐based disposable face masks are widely used to hold back viral transmission. The discarded masks can create a huge burden of contamination on the environment. The purpose of this work is to recycle and reuse discarded masks to reduce environmental pollution. A simple and innovative technique to recycle surgical masks into composites of higher mechanical strength and antimicrobial properties is explored to reuse in packaging materials and cutleries. The surgical masks composed of PP fibers are recycled to use as a matrix material to reinforce with sisal and hemp fibers. The hot compression molding technique is used to sandwich the PP masks with natural fibers. The tensile strength of the composites is remarkably increased by 197% and 305% for sisal fiber composites and hemp fiber composites, respectively. The tensile elongation also increased to 574% for sisal fiber composites. The resulting composites exhibit notable antimicrobial properties against
Staphylococcus aureus
, a pathogen responsible for common staphylococcal food poisoning. The composites are found to be suitable to use as food contact cutleries and packaging materials.
“…Density plays an important role when it comes to end application as low-density materials can be used to produce lightweight components. One major merit of T A B L E 1 Advantages and limitations of natural and synthetic fibers [25][26][27] Type of fiber Advantages Limitations…”
The utilization of sustainable natural fibers as green filler/reinforcement material for producing polymeric composites is substantially improved due to increase in the perception of ecological safety and usage of biodegradable and renewable materials toward a green environment. These natural fibers are obtained from various sources and are reinforced in the polymer matrices to produce polymer matrix composites. However, the overall properties of these composites are low when compared to that of the synthetic fiber-based composites due to poor interfacial bonding between the hydrophilic natural fiber and hydrophobic polymers. This deficiency can be addressed by incorporating
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