Mechanical characteristics of Biomaterial Particles Reinforced Epoxy Resin Composites for Automobile Accessories

Abstract In this study, rattan corncob composite materials were developed and their mechanical properties were determined. This was with a view to producing alternative composite materials for automobile applications. Dried corncobs and rattan cane were crushed, treated with caustic alkali NaOH (aq) and transferred into a water bath machine to reduce the hydrophilic nature of the fibres in the polymer. The shredded corncobs and rattans cane were sun-dried after the treatment to remove the moisture content and were further pulverized and sieved to obtain 400μm particle size. Compositions of the particles were varied for seven samples with the binder kept constant at 80wt% of the whole mixture and forming them into particle panels using a metal mould. The process was repeated in order to obtain three replicates to get the exact mean value. The produced panels were tested for density, water absorption, tensile strength and modulus, flexural strength and modulus, and optical microstructure. The results revealed that the densities ranged between 1.06g/cm3 to 1.30g/cm3, the water absorption properties ranged between 0.87% to 4.55%, tensile strength ranged between 42MPa to 90MPa, tensile modulus ranged between 2.2GPa to 5.9GPa, flexural strength ranged between 50MPa to 70MPa and flexural modulus ranged between 1.5GPa to 2.7GPa. It was concluded that the developed composite materials have good mechanical properties and could serve as alternative materials for making automobile accessories like bumpers and spoilers. It could also help in solving the problem of environmental pollution caused by open burning.