Fabricate A Product From NFRC
Fabricate A Product From NFRC
Fabricate A Product From NFRC
2.1 Materials
2.2 Method and approaches 6
2.3 Analytical Volume Fraction…………………………………………………………………………………………..
2.4 Challenges in using natural
fibers………………………………………………………………………………
Reference
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Abstract
Natural fibers have recently piqued the interest of researchers due to their low cost, availability,
sustainability, renewable, and biodegradable properties, which can also be used as
reinforcement in polymer composites for side walk road construction application. Numerous
researches are going on to improve the mechanical and tribological properties like ductility and
toughness of these engineered bio composites with the filling of the appropriate number of
inorganic nanoparticles like ZrO2, SiO2, CuS, ZnO, CuO, and TiO2 into polymer matrices. The
composites were made with different weight fractions of nanoparticles using various molding
techniques, such as hand lay-up, vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding, pultrusion, injection
molding, and so on. Before fabrication, the natural fibers undergo different chemical
treatments, such as alkaline, silane, acetylation, or benzoylation, etc. Mechanical tests (tensile,
compression, flexural, hardness, and impact), tribological tests (coefficient of friction and wear
rate), and water absorption tests were commonly performed.
1. Introduction
Composite materials are obtained by combining two or more materials to attain exclusive
structural characteristics. Within composites, the starting elements preserve their individualities
to a certain extent [2]. The concept behind the composites is nothing new and is a century-old
trade in human history [3]. The synthetic reinforcements involve carbon, thermoplastics,
alumina, boron, silicon carbide, steel, and silicon nitride in general. Moreover, coconut shells,
eggshells, palm kernel shells, periwinkle, Thaumato coccus daniellii, bagasse, banana peel, and
yam peel are explored more as natural filler within composites aiming for successful
implementation in different sectors. Usually, matrix and filler or reinforcements are two main
building blocks in a composite (Fig. 1). A matrix is like an adhesive for reinforcements which
helps to bind the filler materials together and transfers the employed load to the filler elements.
Furthermore, it secures the reinforcement in its place and prevents the composite from damage
to its surrounding. On the other hand, fillers or reinforcements in a composite are the loadings
bearing components, supplying strength and rigidity to carry the structural loads. These fillers
usually exist in fibrous forms like natural fibers or take specific forms like chopped glass and
carbon [3, 4]. Nanomaterials are utilized as secondary reinforcing or filler elements. These
elements, therefore, create a fiber reinforcing phase, which, in turn, produce the composites
more advanced by modifying the mechanical/physical properties of the target composites.
Natural fiber reinforcement may be divided in accordance with the length, dimension and
orientation, as demonstrated in Figure 2. This can either be in the form of fiber or particle. The
fiber itself is characterized as continuous or discontinuous (i.e., chopped) depending on its
length-to-diameter (l/d) ratio. Commonly, the fiber-reinforced phase arrangement is classed as
woven or non-woven. A woven fabric is characterized by continuous interlacing of perpendicular
yarns, in a regular pattern. Yarns are structures consisting of several interlocked fibers. The twist
angle is responsible for the cohesion of the fibers and yarn strength up to a certain point, beyond
which, the maximum fiber strength decreases due to the increase in obliquity [1]. Moreover, the
increase of the fiber twist angle is correlated with a decrease of fiber-resin bond strength, lower
permeability and consequently poor mechanical properties [2]. When continuous fibers are used,
the fiber architecture can have more than one-dimension [3]. In the one-dimensional architecture,
the twist angle and the level of alignment of continuous-filament yarns play a significant role in
determining the maximum applied load. For this reason, unidirectional composites tend to be
weaker in the transverse directions [4,5]. Given these attributes, for a known state of stress, these
anisotropic structures can exhibit at least 3 to 4 times better mechanical properties than their
isotropic counterparts [4]
Composites reinforced with bamboo sawdust showed a similar pattern. This is because the
optimal particle size, 275mm, provides a greater surface region to transmit the load between
the matrix and the filler than do the larger particle sizes. Particles smaller than 275 μm in
diameter tended to aggregate into larger ones (109). The larger particle-size fillers have been
having trouble wetting with the PP macromolecules. In addition, the high surface area of
small particles means that the PP matrix might not be thick enough to completely encase the
wood flour. Thus, there were gaps between the filler and the matrix, which reduced Young’s
modulus (110). The authors found that a particle size between 200 and 300mm yielded the
best results in terms of enhanced mechanical properties. Mechanical characteristics of
polyethylene-oil palm empty fruit brunch (EFB) polymer composite were determined
1.2 Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites (NFRPCs) Natural fiber polymer composites
(NFRPC) are made of a polymer matrix implanted within high-strength natural fibers [5]. A
matrix is a binder that holds the fiber together and transfers stress between them. It also
protects the fiber from environmental and mechanical damage. The chemical compositions of
these matrices vary, as do their reactivity with the surface molecules of composite fibers.
However, generally, polymers may be subdivided into thermoplastics and thermosets. Among
these two groups, the structure of thermoset polymer enables it with high flexibility (effective in
customizing target characteristics), strength, and modulus [6,7]. Nonetheless, thermoplastics
are extensively utilized for bio fibers as polyethylene [8], polypropylene (PP), and
polyvinylchloride (PVC), whereas phenolic, polyester, and epoxy resins are examples of
thermosets [5]. So far, all of the investigations on different NFRPCs indicate that the
characteristics of NFRPCs vary depending upon the nature of fibers, origins, and moisture
conditions. Nonetheless, mechanical structures, microfibrillar angle [9], defects [10], cell
dimensions [10], physical nature [7], chemical nature, and also the interaction of a fiber with
the matrix [6] determine the effectiveness of an NFRPC. However, as discussed earlier, NFRPCs
have their drawbacks. Due to the chemically different structures, the fabrication of the natural
fiber within the polymer matrix faces challenges resulting in inefficient exchange of stress to the
interface of the composites. Therefore, attainment of excellent interface characteristics
demands modifications in the chemical processing of the natural fiber, meaning the reagent
functional groups owing to the capability to interact with the fiber compositions at the time of
chemical treatments can change the structure of the fibers [6]. For instance, natural fibers with
the hydroxyl group are hydrophilic. Therefore, a weak interfacial bonding binds the hydrophilic
natural fiber and hydrophobic polymer matrices, making the composites with poor mechanical
and physical properties [6]. However, the hydrophilicity of the natural fiber [6] and the fiber
loading can control the characteristics of the composites [6,7]. A hike in fiber content may lift
the tensile properties of the composites [64]. Other parameters at the processing time also
affect the properties and surface characteristics of the composites [5]. Moreover, the chemical
ingredients also determine the behavior of the natural fiber composites [7]. However, numerous
researches have explored the suitability, competitiveness, and capabilities of natural fibers
within polymeric matrices [7] with an extra focus in modifying the surface of the target fiber
and processing techniques [5;6,7] to boost the fiber/polymer compatibility. Some studies
concentrated on discovering different applications of a particular natural fiber with the
comparative exploration of its mechanical properties [9,7].
Natural fiber reinforcements in thermosetting and thermoplastic composites were researched
by Layth Mohammed et al. [1]to see how different chemical treatments affected their
mechanical, thermal, water absorption, flame retardancy, and tribological properties. The
researchers concluded that chemically treating the natural fiber boosted adhesion between the
fiber surface and the polymer matrix, which in turn improved the physio-mechanical and
thermochemical properties of the NFRPCs. Nano SiO 2 was investigated by Roopesh Kumar Sinha
et al. [3] as a filler to improve the dynamic behavior of epoxy composites reinforced with
natural fibers. Natural fiber composites’ mechanical and dynamic behavior has been
investigated, both with and without filler, and they are compared. They discovered that Nano
SiO2 can be employed as a filler material due to its exceptional qualities, low cost, light weight,
and ease of availability. Vijayakumar Pujar et al. [8] studied the effects of primary
reinforcements like glass, carbon, and kevlar, as well as secondary reinforcements like SiC, Si 3N4,
Al2O3, MoS2, WS2 TiO2, SiO2, ZrO2, MbO2, ZnS, CaCO3, CaO, MgCO3, Ta/NbC, MgO, TiC,
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), graphite, and hexagonal boron nitride on the mechanical and
tribological (wear and friction) characteristics of polymer-based composites. Along with
different particle sizes and volume fractions of secondary reinforcements, the influence of
primary reinforcements’ shape is also highlighted. Love Kerni et al. [9] investigated the many
kinds of natural fibers that may be employed as reinforcement in polymer composites using a
variety of production techniques and processing procedures. Then, these composites’
mechanical, tribological, and other characteristics are examined and given together with a
variety of applications. The current problems and difficulties with the mechanical and
tribological characteristics of plant-based natural fiber-reinforced thermoset composites have
been discussed by Vijay Chaudhary et al. [2], They discovered that when it comes to mechanical
and tribological qualities, the interfacial adhesion is the dominant determinant. The wear and
frictional properties of thermoset composites based on plant fibers can be managed by
choosing the right fillers and orientation for the reinforcement. A unified account of the study
on several bast fibers (banana, flax, hemp, jute, kenaf, and ramie) reinforced polymer
composites, including the impact of chemical treatment on their physio-mechanical
characteristics and their applications, was presented by A.V. Kiruthika et al. [2].
There are several manufacturing processes to fabricate a product from NFRC’s. These include
injection molding, pultrusion, sheet molding compound, compression molding and resin
transfer molding [5]. The types of processes are depending on the requirements and will
determine the properties of the final product. Compared to the tensile and flexural properties,
resin transfer molding is higher than injection compression molding process. Based on research
banana/sisal hybrid fiber-reinforced polyester, the tensile strength using resin transfer molding
is 1621 MPa which higher than compression molding 1347 MPa. Meanwhile for flexural strength
also resin transfer molding is higher than compression molding which 2276 and 2247 MPa,
respectively. However, the impact resistance strength of polymer composite made from resin
transfer molding is lower than the compression molding process [6].
The details for the processing are discussed as sub-section follows:
Picture from left to right Low-density polypropylene (LDPE), fine silica, Bamboo fiber, refined
bamboo fiber, mixture of LDPE, fine silica and refined bamboo fiber, setting up the hand lay-up
molding on process finally the simple compactor
2.2 Method and approaches
Pretreatment of the Bamboo fiber and the silica
Ground bamboo fiber is Alkali treated chemically with 20% NaoH solution for better bonding
character and dried in oven then separated with 60 mesh sieves to be mixed with Silica that is
washed and dried then separated with 60 mesh sieve and mixed with pre-melted LDPE following
the mixture ratio of fiber to silica to Polymer as (25:25:50)
Fine particles aggregated due to van der Waals forces or chemical bonds [7], and CNFs
agglomerated due to strong fiber–fiber hydrogen bonding coupled with their polar nature,
especially in a non-polar polymeric environment [8]. We hypothesized that the silica particles
would adhere to the CNFs’ surface, which weakens the hydrogen bonds and prevents
agglomeration. Figure below shows the interaction of the fine particles and CNFs if mixing in
solvents. When the ratio of the fine particles is low, CNFs will agglomerate, and if too high, the
fine particles will agglomerate. To further elucidate the respective mechanisms, Sio 2 were
utilized and mixed with CNFs in ethanol/water mixed solvent. In this research, we only focus on
the specific ratio of CNFs and Sio 2 first in order to investigate the basic interactions of the hybrid
filler
2.3 Analytical Volume Fraction
In a composite material, the parameter “volume fraction” plays a major role in characterizing its
various properties such as mechanical, thermal, electrical, etc. The evaluation of this parameter
is of great importance for material scientists. For example, in a fiber-reinforced composite, the
fiber volume fraction significantly determines its properties. A composite can’t be prepared with
100 % of fibers. There is a maximum limit of fiber content in a composite structure. And this
maximum volume fraction is able to achieve only when the unidirectional fibers are hexagonally
close packed. For a composite material, let the total volume be “V” and masses of its
constituent materials be M1, M2, M3, etc. Then the composite density (ρcom) can be expressed
(Eq. 2.1) as
In terms of the densities and volumes of the constituents, Eq. 2.1 can be written as Eq. 2.2
based on the rule of mixtures
where Vi and ρi are the volume fractions and densities of the ith phase, respectively. The fiber
volume fraction (Vf) can be written in terms of fiber weight fraction (Wf) [1] as
where ρm, ρf, Wf, and Wm are the density of the matrix, the density of the fiber, the weight
fraction of the fiber, and the weight fraction of the matrix, respectively. Correspondingly, the
fiber weight fraction (Wf) can be expressed in terms of fiber volume fraction (Vf) [1] as
The fiber volume fraction determines the strength of the composites. Ravi et al. have studied
the effect of fiber volume percent on the dynamic damage behavior of woven glass fiber-
reinforced polymer (FRP) composites [2]. Delamination is the major damage noticed for
specimens with higher fiber volume percent, while the matrix cracking and interface debonding
occurs for materials with low fiber volume percent. Fiber volume percent in combination with
fiber distribution is the main parameter affecting the interlaminar fracture toughness (ILFT) [3].
It has a significant influence on the longitudinal tensile and compressive strengths and the in-
plane shear strength of FRPs. The strength parameters vary in direct proportion to the fiber
volume percent up to 50 % [4]. The fiber volume percent of a composite are determined by
chemical matrix digestion method as described in ASTM D3171 [5], the burn test as described in
ASTM standard D2584 [6], or by photomicrographic techniques. For glass fiber composites, burn
test is used because the glass shows good oxidation resistance (500–600 C), which is much more
than the complete burning of matrix.
Challenges in using natural fibers
During our Experimentation we have learned many about the types of fibers and their
respective treatment methods so that they could best perform in the composite material
preparation for different purposes like in our case they are applied in the construction
industry so that they will perform better than the cement base walking pavement breaks or
tiles by improving their brittle nature and giving them with more ductile and better toughness
to prolong the service life of the roads there by using environmental friendly and renewable
resource.
However, during our Experimentation we have come across many challenges like shortage
of testing and proper tools to carry out the experimentation like an autoclave and
homogenizer but still we have seen that the relationship between the binding polymers and
the reinforcing fibers ratio could be optimized and are able to maximize their efficiency
somehow, we have seen that it is Possibility is high that many new investments could be
engaged in such business by making a better performing materials in the construction
industry by applying the composite science.
Use of natural fibers in polymeric composites involves various issues related to moisture
absorption, durability, weak interfacial adhesion of fibre and matrix and poor mechanical
properties etc.[8]. NFPCs face the critical issue of degradation when exposed to external
environment.There are different degradation modes pointed out in Figure 3. These include
biological, mechanical, water, weather and fire degradations. Different degradation reactions are
also mentioned in Figure 3. Biological degradation of NFPCs takes place due to attack by
biological organisms. Organisms/Enzymes attack hemicelluloses first and hydrolyse them into
digestible units [9]. This weakens the fibre–matrix interface resulting in lowered strength of
composites. Biodegradation also occurs due to oxidation and reduction reactions by enzymes. It
can be avoided by using toxic chemicals [6]. Water degradation is the next challenge associated
with these composites. As NFPCs are hydrophilic in nature, therefore, they absorb moisture in
outdoor environment. It is governed by void content of natural fibres and content of non-
crystalline parts. Rain, sea, dew and ice are the major sources for this absorption. The main
constituent of fibre that absorbs moisture is hemicelluloses. The fibre swells due to this and also
shrinks when it dries. Those NFPCs which are exposed to water frequently have wetter and drier
areas within the composite leading to differential swelling and ultimately cracking [9].
Reference