Enhancement of Mechanical Properties of Luffa Fiber/Epoxy Composite Using B<sub>4</sub>C

Jino, R.; Pugazhenthi, R.; Ashok, K.G.; Ilango, T.; Chakravarthy, P.

doi:10.1166/jamr.2017.1324

Cited by 32 publications

(18 citation statements)

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Section: Luffa and Its Composite Materialssupporting

confidence: 56%

“…Figure 2 shows the mature luffa fruit and its fiber structure. Luffa fibers comprise significant toughness, strength, and stiffness, similar to the ones observed in various metals with same density ranges [44]. Luffa chemical composition mostly consists of lignin and hemicellulose/cellulose, as well as includes some inorganic elements like glycosides, polypeptides, amino acids, proteins, and so on [45][46][47].…”

Section: Luffa and Its Composite Materialsmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) [25,44,[49][50][51] Hydrogen Peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) [27,54,55,[65][66][67] Acetic Acid (CH 3 COOH) [27,54,55] Carbamide CO(NH 2 ) [55] Methacrylamide [60,69] Benzoyl Chloride Permanganate (KMnO 4 ) [51,75] Acetic Anhydride, and Acetone [65] Furfuryl Alcohol followed by oxidation (sodium chlorite + acetic acid) [50] CaCl 2 , H 2 SO 4 , and Na 2 HPO 4 [57] Hypochlorite (NaClO) [58] Ethanol, BTDA Dianhydrides [64] HCl [56] Chlorine Bleach [46,77] CalciumPhosphate and Calcium Carbonate [78] CaOH 2 and Silane [71] Thermo-mechanical treatment and thermo-hydromechanical treatment [79] Heat treatment [80] Sodium hydroxide (NaOH)/alkaline treatment evidenced its capability in improving luffa fibers' microstructure by changing its chemical composition as well as removing all impurities [49,[59][60][61][62][63]70]. Treating luffa fibers with 4% NaOH at 120 • C for 3 h revealed the highest fiber crystallinity index and, in addition, combined chemical treatments switched luffa from a mat into a filament structure [67].…”

Section: Treatment Referencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, researches have considered scanning electron microscopy most often for inspecting the fiber surface morphology, voids presence, fiber/matrix interaction, and so on. Few researches scanned pure luffa samples [55,67,69], while others involved the following matrices: epoxy [44,50,51,59,[61][62][63]89,91], polyester [60,66,96], polypropylene [68], vinyl ester [64], geopolymer [100], pre-gelatinized cassava starch [101]. SEM micrographs of untreated and treated fibers are shown in Figures 3 and 4; FESEM micrographs of treated luffa/epoxy are illustrated in Figure 5.…”

Section: Microscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Luffa fibers have a flake-like structure and are highly capable of enduring tensile forces. Selecting these fibers as a reinforcement can enhance the composite's strength [44]. Extraction treatment reduced the amount of solids covering the fibers' surface by decreasing the roughness rate [64].…”

Section: Microscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Recent Developments in Luffa Natural Fiber Composites: Review

et al. 2020

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Natural fiber composites (NFCs) are an evolving area in polymer sciences. Fibers extracted from natural sources hold a wide set of advantages such as negligible cost, significant mechanical characteristics, low density, high strength-to-weight ratio, environmental friendliness, recyclability, etc. Luffa cylindrica, also termed luffa gourd or luffa sponge, is a natural fiber that has a solid potential to replace synthetic fibers in composite materials in diverse applications like vibration isolation, sound absorption, packaging, etc. Recently, many researches have involved luffa fibers as a reinforcement in the development of NFC, aiming to investigate their performance in selected matrices as well as the behavior of the end NFC. This paper presents a review on recent developments in luffa natural fiber composites. Physical, morphological, mechanical, thermal, electrical, and acoustic properties of luffa NFCs are investigated, categorized, and compared, taking into consideration selected matrices as well as the size, volume fraction, and treatments of fibers. Although luffa natural fiber composites have revealed promising properties, the addition of these natural fibers increases water absorption. Moreover, chemical treatments with different agents such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and benzoyl can remarkably enhance the surface area of luffa fibers, remove undesirable impurities, and reduce water uptake, thereby improving their overall characteristics. Hybridization of luffa NFC with other natural or synthetic fibers, e.g., glass, carbon, ceramic, flax, jute, etc., can enhance the properties of the end composite material. However, luffa fibers have exhibited a profuse compatibility with epoxy matrix.

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Section: Luffa and Its Composite Materialssupporting

confidence: 56%

Section: Luffa and Its Composite Materialsmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Treatment Referencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Microscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Microscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Recent Developments in Luffa Natural Fiber Composites: Review

et al. 2020

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Fabrication and thermomechanical properties of carbonized Luffacylindrica‐reinforced high‐density polyethylene composites

Ioannou

Kyriacou

Pantelas

et al. 2021

J of Applied Polymer Sci

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The lifecycle of a material and the environmental trace is becoming a dominant parameter on material's selection process. The present study focuses on the fabrication and thermomechanical characterization of fully recycled composite materials based on high-density polyethylene (HDPE) reinforced with bio-natural inclusions of carbonized Luffa cylindrica (c-LC). Materials fabrication was realized by applying the twin roll mill process, which enabled the production of a series of polymer composites with variable c-LC content. The morphological and thermomechanical characteristics were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy and dynamic mechanical analysis, respectively. Morphological results indicate a reinforcing geometry of the inclusions, while the thermomechanical characterization verifies the reinforcement of HDPE thermoplastic with the biochar inclusions thus paving the way to the use of such fully-recycled biochar thermoplastic composite materials on structural and semi-structural applications.

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Mechanical, ballistic impact, and water absorption behavior of luffa/graphene reinforced epoxy composites

KG¹,

Kalaichelvan

2020

Polymer Composites

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The mechanical, ballistic, and moisture intake properties of luffa fiber reinforced with graphene-modified epoxy composites were experimentally investigated. The nanofiller graphene particles were modified with a matrix using the mechanical stirring process. The filler (graphene) of size 20 nm is modified with the matrix of different weight percentages 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. The samples for various testings were prepared with different compositions using a hand layup technique followed by compression molding. The results show that tensile, impact, and flexural strength were enhanced with the modification of the filler graphene up to 2 wt%. The ballistic impact results show that energy absorption increases with nanofiller modification. Minimum water intake behavior is observed for the composite samples incorporated with fillers. Failure mechanisms were studied on tensile tested specimens using a scanning electron microscopy. The morphological images showed defects like interfacial behavior, fiber pull out, voids, and internal cracks on the tested specimens. K E Y W O R D S ballistic impact behavior, composite material, graphene, Luffa cylindrica, mechanical properties 1 | INTRODUCTION Owing to their ecofriendly character, low cost, and availability, natural fibers created interest among researchers for producing sustainable polymer composites. [1] As the world is focusing on reducing the effect of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, the demand for using natural fibers as reinforcements increased. [2,3] Inorganic fibers like carbon, aramid, and glass fibers have good attractive properties that make them ideal for use as reinforcements in polymer composites. [4] Nevertheless, synthetic fibers suffer from nonbiodegradability, high cost, and hazardous gasses during disposal, which made researchers find new alternative materials. [5] Hence, they tried to use natural fibers as alternative materials to overcome the problems of using synthetic fibers. [4,6] Natural fibers like sisal, [7] banana, [8-11] jute, [12-14] coir, [15,16] luffa, [17,18] hemp [19] and flax, [9,20] and so forth are most commonly used as reinforcements in polymer composites and those materials were used in various interior applications such as furniture, acoustics, vibration isolation, packaging, automobile industries, aeronautical, and marine sectors. [21,22] Their hydrophilic nature reduced compatibility, reinforcing effect, and stress transfer with polymer matrices made the natural fiber composites fit for use in light load and interior applications. The properties and quality of composites depend on the degree of compatibility between the matrix and natural fiber. [23-25] To enhance the bonding between the matrix and fibers researchers used different methods, one of which is surface treatments. Generally, surface treatments like alkali, [3,6,26-28] silane, [29,30] benzoylation treatment, [6,31] and so forth are used for treating the fiber surface. Tolera A. Negawo et al [32] studied the influence of alkali

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Enhancement of Mechanical Properties of Luffa Fiber/Epoxy Composite Using B₄C

Cited by 32 publications

References 0 publications

Recent Developments in Luffa Natural Fiber Composites: Review

Recent Developments in Luffa Natural Fiber Composites: Review

Fabrication and thermomechanical properties of carbonized Luffacylindrica‐reinforced high‐density polyethylene composites

Mechanical, ballistic impact, and water absorption behavior of luffa/graphene reinforced epoxy composites

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Enhancement of Mechanical Properties of Luffa Fiber/Epoxy Composite Using B4C

Cited by 32 publications

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Recent Developments in Luffa Natural Fiber Composites: Review

Recent Developments in Luffa Natural Fiber Composites: Review

Fabrication and thermomechanical properties of carbonized Luffacylindrica‐reinforced high‐density polyethylene composites

Mechanical, ballistic impact, and water absorption behavior of luffa/graphene reinforced epoxy composites

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Enhancement of Mechanical Properties of Luffa Fiber/Epoxy Composite Using B₄C