International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 04 Issue: 09 | Sep -2017 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072
© 2017, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 5.181 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 202
Effect of Particle Loading on Flexural Properties of Coconut Shell
Reinforced Cardanol Resin Composite
R. Udhayasankar1, B. Karthikeyan2
1,2Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology,
Annamalai University, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India - 608002.
---------------------------------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract - A study on the flexuralproperties ofcoconutshell
(CS) particle reinforced cardanol resin (CR) composites is
presented in this paper. The coconut shell/cardanol resin
composites were made as per the compression moulding
procedure. These specimens werethentestedinthethreepoint
bend configuration in accordance with ASTM D790. Weight
fractions of coconut shell particles 0, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40
wt % were chosen to be studied. The experimental results
indicated that the maximum flexural strengthof 30%coconut
shell/cardanol resin increased by 46 % as compared with
those of neat cardanol resin. This improvement can be
attributed to the uniform distribution of particle in the matrix
and high surface area of coconut shell particles.
Key Words: Coconut shell, cardanol resin, Flexural
properties, Scanning electron microscope
1. INTRODUCTION
Increasing concerns and awareness of the environment in
connection to the exhaustion of earth’s potential
petrochemical reserves, the rising expenditure of oil and
alarming surrounding climate changes, the necessity for
reducing our carbon footprintanddisposal oftoxic waste are
currently the driving force for expedition in development of
materials that are sustainable, ecological and are solely
created from renewable resources are generally more
abundant [1]. Natural filler reinforced polymer composites
are finding much interest as a substitute for glass or carbon
reinforced polymer composites recently. Some advantages
associated with using natural fillers as reinforcement in
polymers are their non-abrasive nature , low cost, easy
fabrication, high strength to weight ratio, betterthermal and
insulating properties, renewable, completely or partially
recyclable, biodegradable and low energy consumption [2-
4]. Natural fillers sequester CO2 from the atmosphere;hence
provide an advantageous contribution to the global carbon
budget. The mechanical properties of polymer composites
reinforced by filler particles are determined by particle size,
dispersion and distribution state, interfacial adhesion,
morphology and particle loading [5-7]. According to Savita
Singh (et al).with higher particle loading, large number of
voids results in CSP particle accumulation due to weak
interfacial bonding between the matrix and the CSP particle.
20 and 30 % CSP reinforced epoxy composites have high
tensile strength and low hydrophilic characteristic than 40
% CSP reinforced composite [8]. The objectives of this study
are to determine the flexural properties and Morphological
Characterization of random oriented coconut shell particle
reinforced cardanol resin composites.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
2.1 Materials
The matrix material used in this investigation was CNSL
were obtained from Golden Cashew Products Pvt. Ltd,
Pondicherry, India. Formaldehyde, epoxy (LY 556), HY 951,
and ammonium hydroxide Supplied by Merck Life Science
Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai, India. The reinforcement (coconut shell)
were obtained from local market of Mayiladuthurai, Tamil
Nadu, India as raw form. The said shells were cleaned by
water then they are powdered by grinding then dried in sun
light 5 to 8 hrs.
2.2 Methods
Figure.1 shows planetary ball mill.Thedriedcoconutshell
were then breaking in to pieces andthey werefirstground in
a ball mill to produce fiber powder and then separated by
mechanical sieving in to particle form. The average size of
coconut shell particle used in this study is 25µm.
Fig -1: Planetary ball mill
2.3 Composites preparation
The prepared 25µm coconut shell particles were mixed
with the prepared Cardanol resin in our earlier work, epoxy
resin and hardener matrix in a ratio of 75:25. The mixture
was shifted to a mould in dimension of 290 × 290 × 3 mm
and was fabricated by compressionmouldingprocess,under
temperature of 60°C and pressure of 100kgf/cm2, the
composite was formed. Then composites were left to cureat
International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 04 Issue: 09 | Sep -2017 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072
© 2017, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 5.181 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 203
60 to 70°C temperature for 24 hours in hot air oven. The
different weight composition coconut shell particles, viz.,0,
10,20,30, and 40 Wt% .Figure 2 shows the Schematic
diagram for cardanol rein and coconut shell particles/
Cardanol resin flexural specimensand(b) photographimage
of the developed composites.
Fig -2: (a) Line diagram for Cardanol resin and CS/CR
Flexural specimens and (b) Photographic view of the
developed composites
Fig -3: Loading arrangement for flexural specimen
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Flexural strength
Figure 4 shows the flexural strength and flexural modulus
of coconut shell particulate composite at different particle
loading. Flexural strength of coconut shell / cardanol resin
composite is increased from 33.48 MPa to 46.50MPa and
then decreased from 25 MPa to 44.10 MPa. This decrease is
attributed to the void content or crack formation at the
interface of composite, inability of the particle to support
stresses transferred from the matrix and poor interfacial
bonding generates partially spaces between particle and
matrix materials whichgeneratesa weak structure. Cardanol
resin has excellent adhesion to a large number of materials
and could be further strengthened with the addition
particulates. From the results it is observed that the coconut
shell reinforced composite gives best results at 30 wt%
particle in flexural strength when compared with the other
particle loading. The flexural modulus of the composites
increased with increasing particle content. The presence of
coconut shell particle in matrix reduced polymeric chain
mobility due to the increased stiffness of the composites.
Fig -4: Effect of flexural strength and flexural modulus of
CS/CR composite
3.2 Morphological Characterization
Figure 5 (a) shows the microstructure of 30 wt% flexural
specimen. From the microstructure it is evident that, due to
incorporation of CS particle withcardanol resin,itisfoundto
have good interfacial bonding between particle and matrix
materials. Hence no voids and micro cracks were found on
the surface of the composite which has given the composite
little positive strength to flexural load. But, at 40wt%, the
problem occurred at the time of mixing of particle and resin
due to maximum percentage of reinforcing materials. Dueto
improper mixing of the particle and matrix a poorinterfacial
bonding creates between the materials. From Figure 5 (b) it
is observed that a small micro cracks and voids are also
found on the surface of the composite is also a region for
reduction in strength of the composite.
International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 04 Issue: 09 | Sep -2017 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072
© 2017, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 5.181 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 204
Fig -5: SEM Micrograph of fractured surface of (A) 30 wt%
and (B) 40 wt% CS/CR composite flexural specimen
4. CONCLUSION
The characterization of compression moulding cardanol
resin and coconut shell particles/cardanol resin composites
of different weight fractions of reinforcement materials (0,
10%, 20%, 30 % and 40 %of coconut shell particles) and
study of flexural strength by a universal testing machinehas
led to the following inferences.
1. The increase of the filler plays an important role in
improving the mechanical behavior of composites. The
improvements of flexural strength up to optimum
particle content, that is 30 wt%, indicated better
interfacial interaction and effective load transfer
between particle and cardanol resin due to better
dispersion. However, as the coconut shell particle
content increased up to 40 wt%, coconut shell particles
aggregated and the crack formation would decrease the
effective cross-sectional area of the composites and
induced its flexural properties reduced.
2. Additionally, the morphology of the coconut shell
particles/cardanol resin composites were observed by
SEM, where the formation of micro cracks, voids, and
poor interfacial bonding which causes the reduction in
flexural strength.
REFERENCES
[1] Eustathios Petinakis, Long Yu, George Simon and
Katherine Dean, Natural Fibre Bio-Composites
Incorporating Poly(Lactic Acid), Book Chapter- 2, Fiber
Reinforced Polymers - The Technology Applied For
Concrete Repair, CSIRO, Materials Science And
Engineering, Melbourne, Australia From Intech Open
Science, 2013,41-59.
[2] Komethi Muniandy, Hanafi Ismail NO.Studiesonnatural
weathering of rattan powder- filled natural rubber
composites. Compos 2012; 7:3999-4011.
[3] Bledzki AK., Gassan J. Composites reinforced with
cellulose based fibres. Progress in Polymer Science
1999; 24:221-274.
[4] Netravali AN, Chabba S. Composites get greener.
Materials Today 2003; 6:22-29.
[5] S. Roopa, M. Siddaramaiah, Mechanical, THERMAL and
morphological behavioursof coconutshell powderfilled
Pu/Ps biocomposites. Adv. Mater. Res. 2010, 41(14),
3141–3153.
[6] Han-Seung Yang, Hyun-joong Kim, Hee-Jun Park, Bum-
Jae Lee, Taek-Sung Hwang, Water absorption behavior
and mechanical properties of lignocellulosic filler–
polyolefi bio-composites. Compos. Struct. 2006,72(4),
429–437.
[7] J. Sarki, S.B. Hassan, V.S. Aigbodiona, J.E. Oghenevwetaa,
Potential of using coconut shell particle fillers in eco-
composite materials. J. Alloys Compd. 2011,509(5),
2381–2385.
[8] Savita Singh, Alok Singh, Sudhir Kumar Sharma,
Analytical Modeling for Mechanical Strength Prediction
with Raman Spectroscopy and Fractured Surface
Morphology of Novel Coconut Shell Powder Reinforced:
Epoxy Composites. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. C.2016.

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Effect of Particle Loading on Flexural Properties of Coconut Shell Reinforced Cardanol Resin Composite

  • 1. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056 Volume: 04 Issue: 09 | Sep -2017 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 © 2017, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 5.181 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 202 Effect of Particle Loading on Flexural Properties of Coconut Shell Reinforced Cardanol Resin Composite R. Udhayasankar1, B. Karthikeyan2 1,2Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India - 608002. ---------------------------------------------------------------------***--------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract - A study on the flexuralproperties ofcoconutshell (CS) particle reinforced cardanol resin (CR) composites is presented in this paper. The coconut shell/cardanol resin composites were made as per the compression moulding procedure. These specimens werethentestedinthethreepoint bend configuration in accordance with ASTM D790. Weight fractions of coconut shell particles 0, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40 wt % were chosen to be studied. The experimental results indicated that the maximum flexural strengthof 30%coconut shell/cardanol resin increased by 46 % as compared with those of neat cardanol resin. This improvement can be attributed to the uniform distribution of particle in the matrix and high surface area of coconut shell particles. Key Words: Coconut shell, cardanol resin, Flexural properties, Scanning electron microscope 1. INTRODUCTION Increasing concerns and awareness of the environment in connection to the exhaustion of earth’s potential petrochemical reserves, the rising expenditure of oil and alarming surrounding climate changes, the necessity for reducing our carbon footprintanddisposal oftoxic waste are currently the driving force for expedition in development of materials that are sustainable, ecological and are solely created from renewable resources are generally more abundant [1]. Natural filler reinforced polymer composites are finding much interest as a substitute for glass or carbon reinforced polymer composites recently. Some advantages associated with using natural fillers as reinforcement in polymers are their non-abrasive nature , low cost, easy fabrication, high strength to weight ratio, betterthermal and insulating properties, renewable, completely or partially recyclable, biodegradable and low energy consumption [2- 4]. Natural fillers sequester CO2 from the atmosphere;hence provide an advantageous contribution to the global carbon budget. The mechanical properties of polymer composites reinforced by filler particles are determined by particle size, dispersion and distribution state, interfacial adhesion, morphology and particle loading [5-7]. According to Savita Singh (et al).with higher particle loading, large number of voids results in CSP particle accumulation due to weak interfacial bonding between the matrix and the CSP particle. 20 and 30 % CSP reinforced epoxy composites have high tensile strength and low hydrophilic characteristic than 40 % CSP reinforced composite [8]. The objectives of this study are to determine the flexural properties and Morphological Characterization of random oriented coconut shell particle reinforced cardanol resin composites. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1 Materials The matrix material used in this investigation was CNSL were obtained from Golden Cashew Products Pvt. Ltd, Pondicherry, India. Formaldehyde, epoxy (LY 556), HY 951, and ammonium hydroxide Supplied by Merck Life Science Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai, India. The reinforcement (coconut shell) were obtained from local market of Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, India as raw form. The said shells were cleaned by water then they are powdered by grinding then dried in sun light 5 to 8 hrs. 2.2 Methods Figure.1 shows planetary ball mill.Thedriedcoconutshell were then breaking in to pieces andthey werefirstground in a ball mill to produce fiber powder and then separated by mechanical sieving in to particle form. The average size of coconut shell particle used in this study is 25µm. Fig -1: Planetary ball mill 2.3 Composites preparation The prepared 25µm coconut shell particles were mixed with the prepared Cardanol resin in our earlier work, epoxy resin and hardener matrix in a ratio of 75:25. The mixture was shifted to a mould in dimension of 290 × 290 × 3 mm and was fabricated by compressionmouldingprocess,under temperature of 60°C and pressure of 100kgf/cm2, the composite was formed. Then composites were left to cureat
  • 2. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056 Volume: 04 Issue: 09 | Sep -2017 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 © 2017, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 5.181 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 203 60 to 70°C temperature for 24 hours in hot air oven. The different weight composition coconut shell particles, viz.,0, 10,20,30, and 40 Wt% .Figure 2 shows the Schematic diagram for cardanol rein and coconut shell particles/ Cardanol resin flexural specimensand(b) photographimage of the developed composites. Fig -2: (a) Line diagram for Cardanol resin and CS/CR Flexural specimens and (b) Photographic view of the developed composites Fig -3: Loading arrangement for flexural specimen 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Flexural strength Figure 4 shows the flexural strength and flexural modulus of coconut shell particulate composite at different particle loading. Flexural strength of coconut shell / cardanol resin composite is increased from 33.48 MPa to 46.50MPa and then decreased from 25 MPa to 44.10 MPa. This decrease is attributed to the void content or crack formation at the interface of composite, inability of the particle to support stresses transferred from the matrix and poor interfacial bonding generates partially spaces between particle and matrix materials whichgeneratesa weak structure. Cardanol resin has excellent adhesion to a large number of materials and could be further strengthened with the addition particulates. From the results it is observed that the coconut shell reinforced composite gives best results at 30 wt% particle in flexural strength when compared with the other particle loading. The flexural modulus of the composites increased with increasing particle content. The presence of coconut shell particle in matrix reduced polymeric chain mobility due to the increased stiffness of the composites. Fig -4: Effect of flexural strength and flexural modulus of CS/CR composite 3.2 Morphological Characterization Figure 5 (a) shows the microstructure of 30 wt% flexural specimen. From the microstructure it is evident that, due to incorporation of CS particle withcardanol resin,itisfoundto have good interfacial bonding between particle and matrix materials. Hence no voids and micro cracks were found on the surface of the composite which has given the composite little positive strength to flexural load. But, at 40wt%, the problem occurred at the time of mixing of particle and resin due to maximum percentage of reinforcing materials. Dueto improper mixing of the particle and matrix a poorinterfacial bonding creates between the materials. From Figure 5 (b) it is observed that a small micro cracks and voids are also found on the surface of the composite is also a region for reduction in strength of the composite.
  • 3. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056 Volume: 04 Issue: 09 | Sep -2017 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 © 2017, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 5.181 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 204 Fig -5: SEM Micrograph of fractured surface of (A) 30 wt% and (B) 40 wt% CS/CR composite flexural specimen 4. CONCLUSION The characterization of compression moulding cardanol resin and coconut shell particles/cardanol resin composites of different weight fractions of reinforcement materials (0, 10%, 20%, 30 % and 40 %of coconut shell particles) and study of flexural strength by a universal testing machinehas led to the following inferences. 1. The increase of the filler plays an important role in improving the mechanical behavior of composites. The improvements of flexural strength up to optimum particle content, that is 30 wt%, indicated better interfacial interaction and effective load transfer between particle and cardanol resin due to better dispersion. However, as the coconut shell particle content increased up to 40 wt%, coconut shell particles aggregated and the crack formation would decrease the effective cross-sectional area of the composites and induced its flexural properties reduced. 2. Additionally, the morphology of the coconut shell particles/cardanol resin composites were observed by SEM, where the formation of micro cracks, voids, and poor interfacial bonding which causes the reduction in flexural strength. REFERENCES [1] Eustathios Petinakis, Long Yu, George Simon and Katherine Dean, Natural Fibre Bio-Composites Incorporating Poly(Lactic Acid), Book Chapter- 2, Fiber Reinforced Polymers - The Technology Applied For Concrete Repair, CSIRO, Materials Science And Engineering, Melbourne, Australia From Intech Open Science, 2013,41-59. [2] Komethi Muniandy, Hanafi Ismail NO.Studiesonnatural weathering of rattan powder- filled natural rubber composites. Compos 2012; 7:3999-4011. [3] Bledzki AK., Gassan J. Composites reinforced with cellulose based fibres. Progress in Polymer Science 1999; 24:221-274. [4] Netravali AN, Chabba S. Composites get greener. Materials Today 2003; 6:22-29. [5] S. Roopa, M. Siddaramaiah, Mechanical, THERMAL and morphological behavioursof coconutshell powderfilled Pu/Ps biocomposites. Adv. Mater. Res. 2010, 41(14), 3141–3153. [6] Han-Seung Yang, Hyun-joong Kim, Hee-Jun Park, Bum- Jae Lee, Taek-Sung Hwang, Water absorption behavior and mechanical properties of lignocellulosic filler– polyolefi bio-composites. Compos. Struct. 2006,72(4), 429–437. [7] J. Sarki, S.B. Hassan, V.S. Aigbodiona, J.E. Oghenevwetaa, Potential of using coconut shell particle fillers in eco- composite materials. J. Alloys Compd. 2011,509(5), 2381–2385. [8] Savita Singh, Alok Singh, Sudhir Kumar Sharma, Analytical Modeling for Mechanical Strength Prediction with Raman Spectroscopy and Fractured Surface Morphology of Novel Coconut Shell Powder Reinforced: Epoxy Composites. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. C.2016.