Investigation of physico-mechanical properties of areca-cotton fiber reinforced polypropylyne composite

Abstract

The goal of the current research is to fabricate fiber reinforced composite with comparatively easy to get materials, which comes as byproduct and determine the mechanical, physical, chemical and thermal characteristics of a proposed hybrid polymer composite which consist of a polypropylene matrix and a mixture of cotton and areca fibers. Hybrid composites are usually used as a combination of properties of different types of fibers and a polymer matrix. The advantages of natural fibers are their continuous supply, easy and safe handling, and biodegradable nature. This research work investigated the influence of fibers loading, volume fraction of cotton and areca fiber and different percentage of alkali treatment on the aforementioned characteristic of the composites. Composites with volumetric amounts of fibers up to 15% were fabricated. Various tests like, tensile test, flexural test, impact test, hardness test etc. were carried out for mechanical characterization. The thermal stability of the composite was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), the crystallinity of the composite was determined using an Xray diffraction (XRD) test, the surface morphology was examined using Scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the functional groups that were present in the composite were investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). 15 composites and a composite that had not been treated were created using a mixture that was designed by response surface methodology (RSM). Through desirability function, the optimum fabrication combination was identified. The precision of the prediction model was assessed by comparing the predicted value with the experimental value.