Development and Characterization of Epoxy Composites Reinforced with Banana Peel Powder and Jute Fiber
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53560/PPASA(63-1)710Keywords:
Epoxy Composite, Agro-Waste Filler, Hybrid Natural Reinforcement, Jute Fiber, Banana Peel Powder, HardnessAbstract
Eco-friendly and sustainable composites materials have become a topic of great interest in the development of structural materials. Epoxy-based materials have been widely used for their inherent properties. However, thermal instability and the non-biodegradability are the main drawbacks of epoxy. This study incorporates natural fillers into the epoxy matrix with an aim to make them partially biodegradable while enhancing their mechanical and thermal properties. Banana peel powder-epoxy composites and jute fiber-epoxy composites of varying concentrations as well as a hybrid composite comprising of their best single filler loadings were fabricated using solution casting method. The optimum loadings for banana peel powder composites and jute fiber composites were determined to be 20 wt.% and 5 wt.% respectively as the maximum tensile strength of 27 MPa and 21.64 MPa and maximum flexural strength of 43.66 MPa and 42.06 MPa were observed respectively. The hybrid composite displayed both a higher tensile strength of 30.32 MPa and flexural strength of 44.5 MPa. The hardness was increased by increasing filler content up to a certain amount. The hybrid composite, however, displayed the lowest hardness value of 59.78 even compared to blank epoxy (68.11) making it more resilient and less likely to fail catastrophically. The hybrid composite also maintained an intermediary thermal stability among the samples. Water absorption of the hybrid composite was likewise intermediate but exhibited greater deterioration in soil.
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