Sisal coir banana hybrid nano composite with improved mechanical thermal vibrational characteristics

Abstract

Natural fiber has a major focus in the industry due to its ecofriendly approach, effectiveness and low cost. This experiment investigates various factors affecting the properties of natural fiber composites. Sisal, coir and banana are the reinforcements used with epoxy as the matrix material. Compression moulding technique was adapted to fabricate the natural fiber composites. In the initial stage Taguchi and Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) method was used in optimizing various factors affecting tensile, flexural and impact properties of natural fiber composites. Fiber weight percentage (wt %), NaOH treatment %, compression pressure and temperature were the factors used in different levels. This optimized result conditions were used for incorporation of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) nano powder. In the second stage the effect of aluminium oxide nano powder in hybrid combinations of sisal/coir, sisal/banana and banana/coir are investigated. Here alumina nano powder is green synthesized from the leaf of Muntingia Calabura using 4:1 ratio of leaf extract with aluminum nitrate as the precursor. Synthesized nano powder is used for upgrading mechanical, thermal and vibration damping applications of hybrid natural composites. The results demonstrate that addition of nano powder up to 3 wt % improvise the tensile, flexural and impact properties for all incorporated hybrid fibers. Sisal/coir hybrid composites enhanced tensile, flexural and impact properties by 30.86%, 13.34% and 16.49 %. Sisal/banana hybrid composites add to the tensile, flexural and impact properties by 35.64%, 12.20% and 8.24 %. Similarly banana/coir composites also showed the same path. Residual wt % for sisal/coir, sisal/banana and banana/coir hybrid composites enhanced from 27.15 to iv iv 29.14 %, 26.07 to 31.33 % and 23.76 to 27.50 % by 3% nano substitution. Degradation temperature improved in different stages of hybrid combinations. This two proved the increase in thermal stability of hybrid composites by nano powder substitution. Differential Scanning