Investigation on role of heat-treated barley husk biosilica on fatigue, creep, and dynamic mechanical behavior of cotton microfiber-vinyl ester composite

This study explores the effect of heat-treated silane modified biosilica on the fatigue, creep, and dynamic mechanical behavior of waste cotton microfiber-vinyl ester composites. The primary objective of this research was to investigate how the heat treatment process on biosilica influences on the load bearing effect of the composite. The biosilica particles are prepared via a thermo-chemical process and heat treated at 1500 °C for 2 h along with silane treated using 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS). Further, the composites are prepared via a solution casting method since the resin, hardener, filler, and microfiber are mixed in the solution stage. According to results, the composite VCB2 (vinyl resin + cotton microfiber + biosilica of 2 vol.%) shows improved fatigue life cycles of 28,842, 21,682, and 18,811 at stress levels of 25%, 50%, and 75% of ultimate tensile strength. In the dynamic mechanical analysis, the VCB3 (vinyl resin + cotton microfiber + biosilica of 3 vol.%) produced a highest storage modulus of 5.2 GPa with a reduced loss factor of 0.48. Moreover, the creep behavior of VCB3 revealed reduction in creep strain of 0.0029 compared to the creep strain of the plain resin of 0.062 at 15,000 s, at an elevated temperature of 50 °C. This is about an improvement of 95.3%. This remarkable resistance to deformation over time and temperature positions the VCB3 as a promising material for applications where dimensional stability and high life span are top priority. Overall, the heat treatment process on biosilica fetched improved load-bearing effect compared to the biosilica used in as-received condition.