Elucidating the Coir Particle Filler Interaction in Epoxy Polymer Composites at Low Strain Rate

摘要

Addressing the growing environmental issues and diverse range of applications, the present work is focused on the development of high potential agro-waste' such as coir filler' reinforced epoxy composite and evaluation of its critical mechanical properties under diverse constraints. The produced composite material is subjected to a tensile test with variable strain rate, fracture test, impact test and thermogravimetric analysis to assess its applicability in diverse loading and temperature environment. The experimental results display the complementary effect of coir fillers in improving the mechanical properties of the composite by two to four times as compared to neat epoxy and other bio-fibre/filler based composite materials. The increased tensile and flexural strength with filler addition confirms the evident interaction and load transfer capability of infused coir particle fillers in the epoxy matrix. The rate of crack initiation and propagation in the tensile test seems to be extremely affected by the strain rate variation and at higher crosshead speed, the fracture initiated early due to the singularity existed at the crack tip. The highest value of tensile stress and Young's modulus for the developed composite material is observed at the crosshead speed of 2 mm/min. The fracture properties is observed to be maximum for 5 wt. % filler loading and the principal mechanism of fracture failure is crack pinning. This study will be able to open new insights and establish the probable application of the low-cost agro-byproduct in the engineered value added bio-based composite material.