Tribo-Mechanical characterization of carbonized coconut shell micro particle reinforced with Cissus quadrangularis stem fiber/epoxy novel composite for structural application
Jenish Iyyadurai, Sathish Gandhi Veeramalai Chinnasamy, S. Basavarajappa, Indran Suyambulingam, D. Divya, Yucheng Liu, Sanjay Mavinkere Rangappa, Suchart Siengchin
Abstract
In this article, mechanical and tribological characterization of Cissus quadrangularis stem fiber (CQSF)/epoxy resin particulate with and without coconut shell ash (CSA) powder was carried out. The materials were fabricated by the hand lay-up method. Epoxy and 30 wt.% CQSF with 40 mm fiber length were taken to fabricate the base material, and CSA was separately added at 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 wt.%. In this way, five materials were fabricated for mechanical and tribological investigation. The tribological characterization was analyzed by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) using Design-Expert software, and pin-on-disc wear testing machine was used to calculate the specific wear rate of the materials under different experimental conditions. A design table was created for four factors and three levels using full factorial central composite design. The maximum tensile (110.31 MPa) and flexural (136.11 MPa) strength obtained at 5 wt.% CSA addition and after that reduced. The maximum hardness (98 HRRW) and impact strength (20.03 J/cm2) were obtained at 10 wt.% CSA particulate-filled CQSF/epoxy composite. CQSF/epoxy with 5.9 wt.% CSA filler yielded better specific wear rate (6.67 × 10−5 mm3/Nm) compared with other compositions, which was found in the RSM technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were taken to identify failure mechanisms for the specimen.