Title: Investigation on mechanical properties and chemical treatment of litterous fibre reinforced polymer composites

Authors: S. Milan; T. Christopher; J.T. Winowlin Jappes

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Cape Institute of Technology, Levengipuram, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Government College of Engineering, Tirunelveli, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Cape Institute of Technology, Levengipuram, India

Abstract: Fibre reinforced polymer composites are replacing many metallic structures due to its high specific strength and modulus. However commonly used man-made e-glass fibres are hazardous for health and carcinogenic by nature. The increasing demand in recent years for new light considerable research and development in reinforced polymeric systems of greatest interest from an engineering viewpoint. The majority of the literature on fibre-reinforced polymer composites is concerned with continuous fibres in thermo set polymer matrices such as cured epoxy or polyester resin. The present paper emphasises on the importance of the newly identified litterous fibres which are extracted from spinifix litterous plant by manual process. The composite plates are produced by using compression moulding machine. The mechanical properties such as tensile, impact and flexural properties are studied with and without the chemical treatment. The chemical sources for the treatments include alkali, permanganate (with and without alkali pre-treatment) and acetylation of various concentrations. The significance of chemically treated natural fibres is seen through the improvement of mechanical strength and dimensional stability of resultant composites as compared with un-treated composites on litterous fibre.

Keywords: litterous fibre; compression moulding; mechanical properties; surface treatments; dimensional stability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCAET.2018.088832

International Journal of Computer Aided Engineering and Technology, 2018 Vol.10 No.1/2, pp.102 - 110

Received: 10 Sep 2015
Accepted: 08 Feb 2016
Published online: 20 Dec 2017 *

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