Chinathambi Muthukaruppan Meenakshi

The main objective of this study is to compare the interpenetrating polymer networks’ (IPNs) physical strengths with different variants of fibers. In this study, E-glass, carbon, and a combination of E-glass and carbon fiber (hybrid) have been taken as the reinforcement. Similarly, three combinations of the IPNs were chosen as the matrix material, namely epoxy / polyurethane (EP), vinyl ester / polyurethane (VP) and epoxy/vinyl ester (EV) as IPN blends. In order to thoroughly understand the physical characteristics of the combination of blends and fibers, nine variants (laminates) were fabricated: combinations of epoxy / polyurethane / E-glass (EPG), epoxy / polyurethane / carbon (EPC), epoxy / vinyl ester / glass / carbon (EPGC-hybrid), vinyl ester / polyurethane / glass (VPG), vinyl ester / polyurethane / carbon (VPC), vinyl ester / polyurethane / glass / carbon (VPGC), epoxy / vinyl ester / glass (EVG), epoxy / vinyl ester / carbon (EVC), and epoxy / vinyl ester / glass / carbon (EVGC-hybrid), all with help of a hand-layup technique. Furthermore, mechanical tests such as tensile, flexural, impact, and HDT (heat distortion temperature) were performed on all the variants as per the ASTM standards. Results shows that carbon fiber reinforcement with all IPN combinations has shown extraordinary performance (double fold) over the E-glass fiber reinforcement, whereas the hybrid (combination of E-glass/carbon) laminates have shown excellent characteristics over E-glass fiber reinforcement, irrespective of IPN matrix material. All the results were compared with each other and their corresponding variations were plotted as bar charts. ABSTRAK: Objektif utama kajian ini adalah bagi membandingkan kekuatan fizikal rangkaian polimer saling menusuk (IPN) dengan pelbagai jenis gentian berbeza. Kajian ini mengguna pakai gentian kaca-E, karbon dan gabungan kaca-E dan gentian karbon (hibrid) sebagai penguat. Begitu juga, tiga kombinasi IPN dipilih sebagai bahan matrik, iaitu epoksi / poliuretan (EP), ester vinil / poliuretan (VP) dan epoksi / ester vinil (EV) sebagai campuran IPN. Bagi tujuan memahami secara mendalam ciri-ciri fizikal gabungan campuran dan gentian, sembilan varian (lamina) dihasilkan, malaui kombinasi seperti epoksi / poliuretan / kaca-E (EPG), epoksi / poliuretan / karbon (EPC), epoksi / ester vinil / kaca / karbon (EPGC-hibrid), ester vinil / poliuretan / kaca (VPG), ester vinil / poliuretan / karbon (VPC), ester vinil / poliuretan / kaca / karbon (VPGC), epoksi / ester vinil / kaca (EVG), epoksi / ester vinil / karbon (EVC), epoksi / ester vinil / kaca / karbon (EVGC-hibrid) dengan teknik susun atur lapisan menggunakan tangan. Selain itu, ujian mekanikal seperti tegangan, lenturan, hentaman dan HDT (suhu kelenturan panas) dilakukan pada semua varian mengikut piawaian ASTM. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa, penguat gentian karbon dengan semua kombinasi IPN telah menunjukkan prestasi luar biasa (dua kali ganda) daripada penguat gentian kaca-E, manakala lamina hibrid (campuran kaca-E / karbon) telah menunjukkan ciri-ciri sangat baik berbanding penguat gentian kaca-E tanpa mengira bahan matrik IPN. Semua hasil dapatan dibandingkan antara satu sama lain dan padanan variasi diplot sebagai carta bar.

A composite material is a combination of two or more different materials and it plays a vital role in a wide range of applications. In automotive and mechanical industries the demand for lighter weight components is increasing day by day. Glass and flax reinforced composites have superior properties such a high tensile strength at any weather conditions. As the composite materials are used in many applications and exposed to harsh environment, the water molecules from the environment may induced in to the material then reinforcements may be affected and which causes damage to the interface bonding. In this work the effect of hygrothermal environment on hybrid fiber reinforced composites are studied, two types of composite laminates are prepared one is glass fiber reinforced composite (GFRC) and the other is glass and flax fiber reinforced hybrid composite (HFRC). Tensile test samples are cut from the laminates prepared as per ASTM D 638 standard and the tensile strength values before and after hygrothermal exposure are identified and compared from the result it is presumed that hybrid materials are showing better resistance towards hygrothermal behaviour compare to mono glass fiber composites.

Recently, there has been rapid growth in research and innovation in natural fiber composites. The main reasons for the interest on these reinforcements over synthetic fiber reinforcements are their low environmental impact, low cost, and high flexural strength, which supports their potential across a wide range of applications. One of the promising applications of polymeric composite is polymeric gears, used in power and motion transmission work under different loads and speeds. In this work, polymeric spur gears are manufactured with various reinforcements like glass, sisal, and flax fiber in 15% and 20% weight percentage, and the gears are produced by molding process. The performance and wear of the gears are tested using a dynamic testing procedure. The tested gears are analyzed for modifications in tooth profile using scanning electron microscope. The weight loss as well as the thermal capability is studied using a contactless infra-red temperature (FLIR) camera. From the result, it is understood that the natural fiber-reinforced gears can be used for smooth and noiseless operation especially in intermittent applications.