Analysis the Mechanical Property of Wild Palm Tree Fiber Reinforced Composite Material

Abstract

Due to the numerous benefits of polymer matrix composites (PMCs), the replacement of conservative materials such as wood, metals, and ceramics has been taking place at a very fast rate. This fast progress in the use of PMCs has also raised severe problems such as plastic pollution, shortage of landfills, high energy consumption, and depletion of petroleum resources. Furthermore, plastic pollution is harmful to the health of humans over and above land and marine animals. Because of all these issues, investigators are concentrating in the direction of the production of greener materials. The use of natural fibers for the reinforcement of plastics is a noble tactic in the direction of the solution of all these problems. Nevertheless, the strength and performance of synthetic fibers can’t equal that of natural fibers on the other hand some cellulosic fibers like flax, hemp, jute, sisal, caraua, and coir have been examined and found as potential replacements for other ceramic and/or synthetic fibers. Numerous investigators have testified their work on the development and characterization of natural fiber composites in addition to finding their applications for moderate strength applications. Furthermore, natural fiber composites have compensations such as high specific strength, lighter, cheap, waste utilization, and the source of employment in rural areas. However, unsuitability between the hydrophilic natural fibers and hydrophobic polymers is a main problem in the case of natural fiber composites, which can be overcome by physical and chemical treatment of fibers.

Introduction

Composite materials combine two or more substances at the macroscopic level to optimize strength, stiffness, corrosion resistance, and weight while minimizing defects. Their adaptability allows designers to create stronger, lighter, and more efficient structures, especially useful in aerospace and automotive industries.

Nanocomposites are advanced composites reinforced with nanoparticles (0.1–100 nm) such as SiO?, Al?O?, TiO?, or graphite. These nano-fillers enhance mechanical properties, wear resistance, and bonding between matrix and fibers. In this study, nano silica (SiO?) is used as reinforcement in polyester resin due to its high strength, low density, and cost-effectiveness.

The literature review highlights various studies improving composite performance using natural fibers (bamboo, sisal, alfa) and nano fillers (CNTs, nano silica). Results show that adding nanoparticles or hybrid fibers enhances tensile, flexural, and impact strengths, though higher CNT content can increase brittleness.

The methodology involves fabricating hybrid polymer composites using polyester resin, wild date palm fiber mats, and nano silica powder, employing tools such as ultrasonic baths, stirrers, and steel dies.

Results from tensile and flexural tests reveal that variations in SiO? content and fiber orientation significantly affect load-bearing capacity and extension behavior, confirming that optimal nano-filler composition improves the overall mechanical performance of the composites.

Conclusion

In the present study, wild date palm fiber reinforced polyester composite or green composites were successfully developed and their mechanical properties were tested. The following conclusions can be drawn from the results obtained: 1) A new class of polymer composites that use Wild Date Palm natural Fiber as fillers. 2) The tensile, flexural and impact strength of the composite were enhanced by a two-layer wild date palm fiber(WDPF)reinforced hybrid polyester resin composite with nano SiO2 particles. 3) Sonication with an ultrasonic bath uniformly disperse the nano silica particles in the polyester resin. 4) From the Izod impact tests, it can be concluded that the impact resistance increases until the nano silica content in the hybrid polymer matrix composite reaches 2 wt% and then gradually decreases. 5) Tensile tests results shows that the tensile strength increased up to 2 wt% nano silica in the hybrid polymer matrix composite and gradually decreased. 6) The flexural tests results shows that the flexural strength increases until the nano-silica content in the hybrid polymer matrix composite reaches 2% by weight and then gradually decreases.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Mr. Amit Kumar, Dr. Rahul Kumar Singh. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.