Banana fiber reinforced composite material

Kongu engineering college,Perundhurai,Erode.

Introduction This paper is about using natural materials

instead of using synthetic materials in composite wall production.

Composites are formed by combining materials together to form an overall structure that is better than the individual components.

Examples of composite material

Composite building materials such as cements, concrete.

Reinforced plastics such as fiber reinforced polymer.

Metal composites . Ceramic composites(composite ceramic and

metal matrices).

Synthetic composite

Composite material made of artificially produced materials are called as synthetic composites .

Glass reinforced plastic, Thermo plastic composite are some of the examples of synthetic composites .

These composite materials are commonly used nowadays .

Natural composite Natural composites exist in both animals and

plants. Wood is a composite – it is made from long

cellulose fibers held together by a much weaker substance called lignin.

The bone in your body is also a composite.

Preparation of banana fiber reinforced composite wall

Extract fiber from a plantain stem and yarned it in to form of thread .

Banana Fibre Twist

Align the prepared thread from a plantain ,vertically and horizontally over a cardboard and poured the gap with resin .

Resin Resin used is Poly ester .

Poly ester tends to have yellowish tint,

and is suitable for most backyard projects.

Pictures of resin

Comparison

Hardener

Hardener we used is methyl ethyl ketone peroxide .

When the peroxide is mixed with the resin ,it decomposes to generate free radicals, which initiate curing reaction .

Picture of hardener

Filler Filler we used is silicon powder . Normally filler is used to accompany the

pores in composite material .

Prepared composite wall

Composition in percentage

Resin-60% Hardener -10% Filler- 30%

Properties measured

We checked the tensile strength of the composite material and it is up to 33 Mpa

Thermal conductivity is less . Material will not absorb water ,hence this

shows the resistance it will provide during rainy season.

Applications

It can be used in Automobiles for preparing parts of vehicles .

Advantages of natural fiber Environmentally friendly • Fully biodegradable • Non toxic • Easy to handle • Non abrasive during processing and use • Low density/light weight • Compostable • Source of income for rural/agricultural community • Good insulation against heat and noise • Renewable, abundant and continuous supply of raw

materials •

Low cost • Enhanced energy recovery • Free from health hazard (cause no skin

irritations) • Acceptable specific strength properties • High toughness • Good thermal properties • Reduced tool wear • Reduced dermal and respiratory irritation • Ease of separation .

Future experiments To producing this material in sizes near to the

sizes of asbestos sheet . To test all the properties of the material . To use calcium carbonate as a filler instead of

using silicon powder.

by Deepak Raj . B Santosh . M Vijay Raju . SProject guide : Dr. V . Chitra Devi

Thank you