Quantifying the Tensile Properties of Hevea brasiliensis – Silicone Biocomposite using Neo – Hookean Model

Abstract

Incorporation of natural fibers into composites have been continuously researched in moving towards a greener environment. As environmental issues such as climate change and global warming is becoming severe, green technology is one of the ways to reduce it. Hevea brasiliensis or commonly called rubber tree produced a lot of sawdust during the conversion of the raw material into product. The sawdust is known as an agricultural waste which has no economic value. Therefore, this study for the first time attempts to utilize the Hevea brasiliensis sawdust by incorporating it with silicone rubber in the making of a new biocomposite material. The samples were prepared in two weight compositions, 0 wt% and 16 wt% in accordance to ASTM D412. Tensile properties of biocomposite was then determined using 3382 Universal Testing Machine 100kN (Instron, U.S.A., 2008). Neo Hookean hyperelastic model was employed where the material constant, C1 values were obtained. The graph plotted shows that the hyperelastic model used can mimic the deformation behavior of silicone biocomposites. The material constants are observed to increase as Hevea brasiliensis fiber are introduced into it. Hence, it can be concluded that pure silicone rubber has higher tensile strength compared to 16 wt% hevea brasiliensis – silicone biocomposite and the addition of fiber increase the stiffness properties of material produced.

Tensile properties of silicone biocomposite reinforced with waste material (Hevea brasiliensis sawdust): Experimental and numerical approach

“…While the main product is latex, the byproduct is rubber wood, which has great economic value. The wood is obtained from agricultural plantations when the rubber trees are replanted every 25 years to 30 years, due to declining latex yield (Haris et al 2019). They are made into multiple products: furniture, wood panels, flooring, and indoor building components.…”