Mechanical, Thermal Conductivity and Water Absorption of Hybrid Nano-Silica Coir Fiber Mat Reinforced Epoxy Resin Composites

Abstract

The goal of this research is to show that epoxy resin (ER) / coir fiber mats (CFM) hybrid composite laminates with nano-silica particle (NP) reinforcement improve mechanical characteristics and water absorption. Lately, it has been employed in automotive, aerospace, and structural industries where coir fiber-reinforced polymers are safe for ecologically friendly composite applications. The Compression - Hand layup technique is used to make the epoxy composites reinforced with natural coir fibres and nano-silica particles in various weight fractions (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% by weight). Mechanical parameters such as tensile, flexural, compressive, impact strength, thermal conductivity and also water absorption of composites are evaluated in this study. Scanning electron microscopy is also used to analyze the surface morphology of cracked surfaces (SEM). Hybrid nanosilica-coir fiber mat reinforced epoxy resin has decreased water absorption (percent) suggesting better mechanical qualities. Furthermore, the hybrid epoxy-containing 20% nano-silica coir mat improves all the said mechanical properties.