Processing and performance evaluation of agro wastes reinforced bio-based epoxy hybrid composites

Abstract

Agro-wastes have a huge potential to be utilized as lignocellulosic reinforcements in polymer composites. This will not only play an important role in waste management but will also strengthen sustainable production. In the present work, pine cones and wood apple shells were utilized as fillers along with areca sheath fibers in bio-based epoxy resin for fabricating a novel hybrid composite wherein the effect of these fillers in laminated composites has not been explored to a greater extent. The impact of reinforcing both types of fillers in different loadings (5, 10, and 15 wt.%) on various properties of composites was investigated. Physical properties like density, void fraction, mechanical properties comprising of tensile, flexural, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), and hardness along with morphology and moisture absorption behavior of composites were investigated. The mechanical properties of the fabricated composites were influenced by the structure (coarser/finer) of fillers and their chemical composition. The mechanical results for the composites revealed that incorporating wood apple shell fillers resulted in the maximum rise in tensile (23.97%), impact strength (16.81%), and interlaminar shear strength (31.64%), while the incorporation of pine cone fillers resulted in the maximum rise of flexural strength along with Young's (35.4%) and flexural modulus (32.81%). A reduction in moisture absorption was observed on the addition of both types of fillers up to a certain filler loading. The investigations demonstrated a noticeable enhancement in mechanical and physical properties of the fabricated composites on reinforcing micron size fillers.

Sliding wear characterization of epoxy composites filled with wood apple dust using Taguchi analysis and finite element method

“…Shakuntala et al 28 have incorporated the wood apple shell in epoxy polymer and observed that it boosts the polymer composite's mechanical, erosive wear resistance, and visco‐elastic stiffness. A similar observation of the positive impact of fillers is found when wood apple filler hybridizes with a pine cone and is added to natural fiber 29 …”

“…A similar observation of the positive impact of fillers is found when wood apple filler hybridizes with a pine cone and is added to natural fiber. 29 Although some research has been done in the past by taking WAD as filler in polymer composites, the sliding wear potential of the epoxy-WAD composites has not yet been explored. Further, majority of research to date has concentrated on the use of WAD as particulates filler in polymer composites, but no work has been done on FEM analysis of the sliding wear behavior of this polymer composite.…”

Composite of Poly(Vinyl Chloride) Plastisol and Wood Flour as a Potential Coating Material

“…Various traditional thermoplastics such as polythene, polypropylene, acrylonitrilebutadiene-styrene copolymers, polyamide, polystyrene, poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(vinyl acetate), and polycarbonate were used as matrixes of polymer-wood composites [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. These materials were also manufactured using thermosetting plastics like epoxy, polyurethane, and phenolic resin [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Fibre, wood chips, sawdust, and wood flour were used as fillers [3,4,8,9,11].…”

“…Fibre, wood chips, sawdust, and wood flour were used as fillers [3,4,8,9,11]. The wood material came from both deciduous and coniferous trees [6,[15][16][17]. Fillers were used in their original form and after preliminary modification, which may include the removal of lignin, coating with magnetic particles, attachment of epoxy and methacrylate groups, and even modifications using ionising radiation [4,5,7,11,13,14].…”