Mechanical and Erosion Wear Behavior of Syngonanthus Nitens Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composite

Abstract

In recent years, environmental awareness attracts attention of researchers worldwide towards study of natural fiber reinforced polymer composite. These composites are a cost effective material with respect to synthetic fiber composite. In present scenario, the natural fiber reinforced composite having a more significance as a potential material for various purposes in the field of engineering, manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, medical, transportation sectors. Natural fiber possesses attractive features like high strength to weight ratio, light weight, low cost, high specific mechanical properties, renewable, biodegradable, which successfully enables it to use as alternative of traditional synthetic and inorganic fibers. Syngonanthus Nitens, locally called Sikki grass or Golden grass is one of the potential natural fiber which use as a reinforcement in polymer matrix composite has not explored till date. Some of the use of Syngonanthus Nitens fiber (SNF) is to make ornaments, handcrafts, boxes, baskets, toys, food containers.

The present work has been carried out to fabricate a polymer matrix composite with the use of Syngonanthus Nitens short fiber as a reinforcement and epoxy resin as a matrix material. The length of short fiber was found by single fiber pullout test. The short SNF fibers were distributed in a random manner in the composite. The study describes the preparation of a new set of composites by Hand lay-up technique, using varying weight proportions (10%,20%,30% and 40%) of the Syngonanthus Nitens fiber (SNF) reinforced with epoxy resin. Further, the solid particle erosion wear behavior was carried out and mechanical characterization was determined by the experiments. The erosion wear behavior of composites was carried out by Air jet erosion test apparatus with four different impingement angles (30º,45º,60º and 90º) and at four different impact velocities (48,70,82 and 109 m/s). The erodent particle used for the experiment were irregular shaped sand particle having the size of 150-250µm. The experimented composite showed semiductile erosion wear behavior with maximum wear rate at 45º impingement angle at lower velocities and maximum wear rate at 60º at higher velocities. The morphology and damage mechanism of eroded surfaces will be studied by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).