The aim of this study is to investigate natural cellulosic fibers extracted from Tridax procumbens plants. The obtained fibers were alkali treated for their effective usage as reinforcement in composites. The physical, chemical, crystallinity, thermal, wettability and surface characteristics were analyzed for raw, and alkali treated Tridax procumbens fibers (TPFs). The test results conclude that there was an increase in cellulose content with a reduction in hemicellulose, lignin, and wax upon alkali treatment. This enhanced the thermal stability, tensile strength, crystallinity, and surface roughness characteristics. The contact angle was also lesser for treated TPFs which prove its better wettability with the liquid phase. The Weibull distribution analysis was adopted for the analysis of the fiber diameter and tensile properties. Thus the considerable improvement in the properties of alkali treated TPFs would be worth for developing high-performance polymer composites.

Hybrid polymeric composites are gaining important consideration with versatile applications due to their good mechanical properties. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the hybridization effects of different laminate stacking sequence involving areca sheath fiber/jute fiber/glass-woven fabric through the study of mechanical properties of four different resulting composites. The fibers were alkali-treated and were used in composites fabrication that was done using the hand lay-up method. This assessment of mechanical properties and study of fractured surfaces indicated a significant improvement in mechanical properties of the composites with jute fiber as intermittent layers, areca sheath fiber as a core layer, and glass fabrics as skin layer reinforced epoxy composites. An attempt to prove the application suitability of “L” frame for flower stand application was fabricated using the best mechanical behavior performer composite, and the ANSYS (deformation) analysis was also performed.

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Molybdenum disulfide is a successful solid lubricant because of its cleavage of the basal plane at the time of sliding, which helps to retain the lubrication nature in order to reduce wear and to maintain frictional stability. Thus the present study deals with the development of copper-free brake pads using molybdenum disulfide that possesses different grades based on the particle size, namely, technical (coarse), fine and superfine. The brake pads were developed using conventional manufacturing processes and characterized for its physical, chemical, thermal and mechanical properties as per industrial standards. Thermal stability was measured for the varying ingredients and the developed composites using thermogravimetric analyzer instrument. The tribological studies were done using Chase testing following IS2742 Part-4 standards. The results showed that coarse-sized (technical grade) molybdenum disulfide-based brake pads possess better thermal stability with good fade and recovery characteristics in turn leading to less wear when compared with the other two composites. This is because of its better heat dissipation and superior lubricating nature. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive analysis were helpful in studying the wear behavior of the Chase-tested brake friction composite samples.

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The current study deals with the effective usage of Portunus sanguinolentus shell, which is a solid waste in the seafood industry. This Portunus sanguinolentus shell waste was powdered and used as untreated fillers in jute fabrics reinforced epoxy composites. Then Portunus sanguinolentus shell waste powder was treated with chemicals to perform fat removal, deproteination, decarbonization and deacetylation to obtain treated Portunus sanguinolentus shell filler. Three different composites were developed with traditional hand layup process consisting of four layers jute fabrics that were filled with 10 wt% untreated Portunus sanguinolentus shell filler, chemical treated 10 wt% Portunus sanguinolentus shell filler and unfilled one. The thermo-mechanical and fracture morphologies were assessed by tensile, flexural, compression, shear, impact, hardness thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy analysis. The results showed an increase in the thermo-mechanical property of chemical-treated Portunus sanguinolentus shell powder-filled jute fabrics-based epoxy composite. This phenomenon is due to the increase in the chitosan, mineral contents and decrease in the organic content in the Portunus sanguinolentus shell powder due to chemical treatment, thus enhancing the bonding between the filler and fiber matrix with reduction of the void. A showcase stand was developed with the best performer, as an attempt in the perfection of application. The application is then analyzed using ANSYS to predict the deformation behavior when subjected to 0.25 kg, 0.5 kg and 1 kg loads.

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