Long coir and glass fiber reinforced polypropylene hybrid composites prepared via wet-laid technique
Natural fiber composites offer an advantage in terms of weight saving for many automotive applications; however, many natural fiber composites lack properties to justify substitution for synthetic composites. Hybridizing the natural fiber composites by adding a fraction of synthetic fibers is an inn...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-07-01
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| Series: | Composites Part C: Open Access |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666682024000161 |
| _version_ | 1827141268213334016 |
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| author | Sanjita Wasti Amber M. Hubbard Caitlyn M Clarkson Eric Johnston Halil Tekinalp Soydan Ozcan Uday Vaidya |
| author_facet | Sanjita Wasti Amber M. Hubbard Caitlyn M Clarkson Eric Johnston Halil Tekinalp Soydan Ozcan Uday Vaidya |
| author_sort | Sanjita Wasti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Natural fiber composites offer an advantage in terms of weight saving for many automotive applications; however, many natural fiber composites lack properties to justify substitution for synthetic composites. Hybridizing the natural fiber composites by adding a fraction of synthetic fibers is an innovative approach to provide a balance between composite's performance and weight savings. In this study, coir fiber (40 wt%)-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites were hybridized by substituting a fraction of coir fiber with glass fiber (0–30 wt%). The composites were prepared using a novel wet-laid technique followed by compression molding, where the fiber length is preserved. The composites prepared by hybridizing PP/coir fibers with glass fibers were light in weight (6–20% lighter compared to 40 wt% glass fiber reinforced PP) with significantly enhanced tensile (strength – 49–182%, modulus – 54–130%), flexural (strength – 41–104%, modulus – 64–193%), and impact properties (157 - 474%) compared to 40 wt% coir fiber reinforced PP composites. Furthermore, the addition of glass fiber (10–30 wt%) to coir fiber reduced the water-absorbing tendency (by 18–74%) of PP/coir fiber composites. All in all, this work has potential applications in automotive, mass transit, and truck applications where natural fiber composites are being investigated as alternatives to metal and/or fully synthetic composites. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T23:24:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e82a709c4c9f4cc3a95231b4a6b94185 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-6820 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-03-20T19:08:19Z |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Composites Part C: Open Access |
| spelling | doaj.art-e82a709c4c9f4cc3a95231b4a6b941852024-08-23T05:29:36ZengElsevierComposites Part C: Open Access2666-68202024-07-0114100445Long coir and glass fiber reinforced polypropylene hybrid composites prepared via wet-laid techniqueSanjita Wasti0Amber M. Hubbard1Caitlyn M Clarkson2Eric Johnston3Halil Tekinalp4Soydan Ozcan5Uday Vaidya6Tickle College of Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 USAManufacturing Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USAManufacturing Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USATickle College of Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 USAManufacturing Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USAManufacturing Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USATickle College of Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 USA; Manufacturing Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA; Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), Knoxville, TN 37932, USA; Corresponding author.Natural fiber composites offer an advantage in terms of weight saving for many automotive applications; however, many natural fiber composites lack properties to justify substitution for synthetic composites. Hybridizing the natural fiber composites by adding a fraction of synthetic fibers is an innovative approach to provide a balance between composite's performance and weight savings. In this study, coir fiber (40 wt%)-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites were hybridized by substituting a fraction of coir fiber with glass fiber (0–30 wt%). The composites were prepared using a novel wet-laid technique followed by compression molding, where the fiber length is preserved. The composites prepared by hybridizing PP/coir fibers with glass fibers were light in weight (6–20% lighter compared to 40 wt% glass fiber reinforced PP) with significantly enhanced tensile (strength – 49–182%, modulus – 54–130%), flexural (strength – 41–104%, modulus – 64–193%), and impact properties (157 - 474%) compared to 40 wt% coir fiber reinforced PP composites. Furthermore, the addition of glass fiber (10–30 wt%) to coir fiber reduced the water-absorbing tendency (by 18–74%) of PP/coir fiber composites. All in all, this work has potential applications in automotive, mass transit, and truck applications where natural fiber composites are being investigated as alternatives to metal and/or fully synthetic composites.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666682024000161Hybrid compositesPolypropylene/coir fiber compositesGlass fiberWet-laid techniqueMechanical propertiesWater absorption |
| spellingShingle | Sanjita Wasti Amber M. Hubbard Caitlyn M Clarkson Eric Johnston Halil Tekinalp Soydan Ozcan Uday Vaidya Long coir and glass fiber reinforced polypropylene hybrid composites prepared via wet-laid technique Composites Part C: Open Access Hybrid composites Polypropylene/coir fiber composites Glass fiber Wet-laid technique Mechanical properties Water absorption |
| title | Long coir and glass fiber reinforced polypropylene hybrid composites prepared via wet-laid technique |
| title_full | Long coir and glass fiber reinforced polypropylene hybrid composites prepared via wet-laid technique |
| title_fullStr | Long coir and glass fiber reinforced polypropylene hybrid composites prepared via wet-laid technique |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long coir and glass fiber reinforced polypropylene hybrid composites prepared via wet-laid technique |
| title_short | Long coir and glass fiber reinforced polypropylene hybrid composites prepared via wet-laid technique |
| title_sort | long coir and glass fiber reinforced polypropylene hybrid composites prepared via wet laid technique |
| topic | Hybrid composites Polypropylene/coir fiber composites Glass fiber Wet-laid technique Mechanical properties Water absorption |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666682024000161 |
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