Mechanical Properties Of Coconut Shell In Reinforced Polymer Composite

Singh, Vishaldeep Tar (2018) Mechanical Properties Of Coconut Shell In Reinforced Polymer Composite. Project Report. Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia. (Submitted)

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Abstract

Nowadays,the utilization of natural fibers in composites has been increasing and developed to save the environment by using biodegradable materials.The aim of this project is to study the mechanical properties of polymer composite reinforced with coconut shell.Previous studies show that synthetic fiber has more disadvantages than natural fiber such as lower mechanical properties,high cost and higher environmental risk.Powders are produced from coconut shell by using crusher machine,will be the reinforcing material of composite meanwhile unsaturated polyester resin will be the matrix of composite.The optimum ratio of filler content must be obtained to analyze the performance and effects of increasing filler content to tensile properties of composite.In this project,powder particle size 500 μm and below which is randomly distributed,and filler concentration varies by 10%,15%,20%,25% and 30% into polyester matrix.The composites will be produced by using open-mould method and by mixing the powder with resin using stirrer machine.The characterization of particles will be determined by collecting data from the tensile,hardness test,density test and microstructure analysis.ASTM standards were obliged for every specimens that will be fabricated for each test. Polyester Resin and hardener will be mixed to form a solid.Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide (MEKP) are hardeners that referred to as catalyst.MEKP used in this project is Butanox-M60.The main finding of this project is sample with 15% filler content shows maximum tensile properties while hardness increases gradually as filler content increase from 10% to 30%.The Tensile Stress and extension at break increased 15.91% and 6.11% respectively and filler content increased from 10% to 15% then reduce as filler content further increased.Meanwhile,the hardness and Young’s Modulus shows increase 21.5% and 33.26% respectively for sample from 10% to 30% filler content. The density decreases by 0.58% as filler content increase from 10% to 30%.

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