Effect of nanoclay and silica aerogel on mechanical, thermal and physical properties of sugar palm fibre- reinforced unsaturated polyester composites
With the increasing rate of technological developments, the use of specialized materials, such as composites, is continuously increasing. Conventional composites are prepared from synthetic raw materials which are proving to be hazardous to the environment and measures need to be taken to redu...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/75428/1/FK%202018%20115%20-%20IR.pdf http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/75428/ |
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| Summary: | With the increasing rate of technological developments, the use of specialized
materials, such as composites, is continuously increasing. Conventional
composites are prepared from synthetic raw materials which are proving to be
hazardous to the environment and measures need to be taken to reduce their
effects on the environment. Reinforcing natural fibres in composites is a
potentially viable solution to this problem and can result in enhanced properties
as well. Sugar palm fibres are also anticipated to be used in a similar scope,
however, there is a need for improvement in properties before they can be
successfully employed in relevant applications. This study focused on enhancing
the usability of Sugar palm fibre in polymer composite with the addition of fillers.
This study investigated the effect of filler loading on sugar palm fibre reinforced
unsaturated polyester composite. Naturally existing woven sugar palm fibres
were used in this study as reinforcement and unsaturated polyester was used as
the matrix. Nano-fillers namely, nanoclay and silica aerogel were infused in the
sugar palm fibre reinforced polyester composite. Composites were prepared with
hand layup process followed by the hydraulic hot press, which pressed the mould
for 30 minutes at 80 °C. Different weight percentages of nanoclay content (NC)
and silica aerogel content (SAC) were used to prepare the composite. The filler
loadings of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 % were used for both the fillers. Mechanical, thermal
and physical tests were performed on the fabricated composites and the results
were analysed. Tensile, flexural and impact tests were performed according to
respective ASTM standards. Almost all the composites with infused fillers
showed higher tensile strength and 4 % NC mixed composite showed the highest
tensile strength and modulus improvement of 58 % and 12 % respectively.
Flexural properties of nanoclay based composites also showed higher
improvement compared to silica aerogel based composites. A 54 % increase in
flexural strength and 42 % maximum increase in flexural modulus was achieved
with the addition of nano-fillers compared to composite without any filler. Both
nanoclay and silica aerogel were able to achieve better and similar impact strength but at different filler loading. 2 % for nanoclay and 3 % for silica aerogel
achieved almost 20 % improvement in impact strength compared to 0 %
composite. SEM images of the impact fracture composite were discussed and
analysed. For thermal analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and
thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were performed. Addition of both the fillers
improved the dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of the composite. The
optimum concentration for both the fillers to achieve the best thermal
performance was found to be between 2 % to 3 %. To determine the physical
properties, water absorption and thickness swelling investigation of the
composites were carried out. The composites were immersed in distilled water
for up to 13 weeks to analyse long-term water absorption and thickness swelling
characteristics of the composites. Composites with nanoclay restricted and
reduced the moisture uptake and dimensional deformation when immersed in
water while silica aerogel infused composites showed higher levels of water
absorption and thickness swelling compared to composites without additives.
This study concluded that the addition of studied fillers can significantly improve
the properties of sugar palm reinforced composites, making it more usable for a
broader range of tertiary applications, where currently conventional composites
are employed. |
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