Viscoelastic and thermal properties of eco-friendly composites fabricated by resin transfer molding

This article reports the result of the effect of banana fiber on the dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of polyester composites. Composites were prepared using resin transfer molding by varying the fiber content (20, 30, 40, and 50 vol.%). Studies revealed that increase in the fiber content will increase the storage modulus (E') and the maximum is given by the composites having a fiber loading of 40 vol.% at all temperature ranges. The peak height of loss modulus (E '') and damping curves (tan delta) were lowered with respect to the fiber content. Glass transition temperature (T-g) calculated from the E '' and tan delta shifted toward high temperature with the addition of fiber. An attempt has been made to correlate the experimental and theoretical values of storage modulus and tan delta. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that incorporation of fiber to the matrix will affect the thermal stability of the composites.