Investigation on mechanical, moisture uptake and bio-degradation behaviors of Indian jujube fruit seed particles reinforced epoxy-Indian almond composites

Abstract

Natural fiber based composites are gaining increased interest in industrial applications because of less weight, cheap and harmless. In this research work, natural composite was manufactured using Indian almond fiber by conventional hand layup process. The effect of fiber length (10, 20, and 30 mm) on the properties of composites was analyzed. Results showed that the composite made with 10 mm fiber length (C10) showed the utmost tensile strength (58 MPa). Further, the C10 composite was reinforced with Indian Jujube Fruit Seed (IJFS) particles and the effect of particles loading on composite’s behavior was examined. Results indicated that adding up IJFS particles assisted in progress of composite’s properties. Further, the C10/10 wt% IJFS composite showed the better mechanical properties (14% increase in tensile, 23% increase in flexural & impact strengths than C10 composite). Furthermore, the same composite showed least water absorption and bio-degradation characteristics. Hence, it is concluded from this research that the C10/10 wt% IJFS composite is best suited for structural applications as showed improved performance with low weight.