Tribo-Mechanical characterization of carbonized coconut shell micro particle reinforced with Cissus quadrangularis stem fiber/epoxy novel composite for structural application

In this article, mechanical and tribological characterization of Cissus quadrangularis stem fiber (CQSF)/epoxy resin particulate with and without coconut shell ash (CSA) powder was carried out. The materials were fabricated by the hand lay-up method. Epoxy and 30 wt.% CQSF with 40 mm fiber length were taken to fabricate the base material, and CSA was separately added at 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 wt.%. In this way, five materials were fabricated for mechanical and tribological investigation. The tribological characterization was analyzed by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) using Design-Expert software, and pin-on-disc wear testing machine was used to calculate the specific wear rate of the materials under different experimental conditions. A design table was created for four factors and three levels using full factorial central composite design. The maximum tensile (110.31 MPa) and flexural (136.11 MPa) strength obtained at 5 wt.% CSA addition and after that reduced. The maximum hardness (98 HRRW) and impact strength (20.03 J/cm(2)) were obtained at 10 wt.% CSA particulate-filled CQSF/epoxy composite. CQSF/epoxy with 5.9 wt.% CSA filler yielded better specific wear rate (6.67 x 10(-5) mm(3)/Nm) compared with other compositions, which was found in the RSM technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were taken to identify failure mechanisms for the specimen.