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ISSN 2063-5346
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STUDY THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SESBANIA ROSTRATA FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER COMPOSITES

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Dr.K.Raja1 , S.R.Mouleeswar2 , K.Prithiv Raj3 , E.Sri Ram4
» doi: 10.31838/ecb/2023.12.s1-B.292

Abstract

Researchers have recently become interested in natural fibers because they are accessible, affordable, and can be utilized to reinforce composite materials. The aim of the paper is to develop composite materials using Sesbania Rostrata (SR) fibers, Unsaturated Polyester resin (UP) and Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) fillers. Before being reinforced with a hydrophobic matrix, 5% NaOH is used to treat the SR fibers in order to lessen their hydrophilic ability and to improve the fiber stability. With the compression moulding technique, composites are created while maintaining their weight of the 20 wt% treated SR fiber constant and altering the UP resin and CaCO3 correspondingly. The samples are made in compliance with ASTM standards, and they are used to study the effects of fillers on fiber reinforced polymer composites. Among the several samples, the sample with 4% CaCO3 addition in the UP matrix reinforced with treated SR fiber achieved the highest tensile strength (15.78 MPa), flexural strength (25.54 MPa), compressive strength (49.25 MPa), and impact strength (1.14 J). Moreover, CaCO3 enhanced the water absorption (1.28 %) of the SR/UP composite due to the hydrophilic properties of the filler. The mechanically fractured samples are subjected to SEM (scanning electron microscope) for analysis internal structure to identify the reason for failure.

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