Experimental Investigation of High Filler Loading of SiO 2 on the Mechanical and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis of Natural PALF fibre-Based Hybrid Composite

Abstract

Abstract This work aims to investigate the effect of SiO2 nanoparticles on the mechanical properties of pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) epoxy hybrid composites. The compression molding process was used to create the composite. To achieve the aforementioned goals, the blends were made using 25% PALF and varied weight proportions (3wt%, 6wt%, and 9wt%) of SiO2 nanoparticles. Tensile, bending, impact, interlaminar shear, shoreline D hardness, and dynamic mechanical analysis were all evaluated. SEM was used to examine the morphology of the materials, and an FTIR spectrometer was used to look for the presence of organic chemicals in fiber-reinforced composite materials. The findings show that adding 25% PALF fiber and 6% SiO2 nanoparticles (D-type) to the epoxy polymer improved the thermal and mechanical properties of the composites. It can be attributed to the improved interaction and homogeneous dispersion of the fillers and epoxy polymers. Moreover, the water uptake parameters of all samples were studied. The findings showed that the inclusion of reinforcements boosts the water uptake of the composite significantly. The initial deterioration rate of the SiO2-incorporated hybrids is almost the same, at about 400°C, which is considerably greater than that of the beginning breakdown temperatures of PALF (300°C), according to the thermography study. This might imply that the fiber and polymers form a stronger bond, reducing polymer movement and increasing the thermostability of the combination.