Hot-Plate welding behavior of Sisal and Jute Polypropylene composites

The recent global pandemic has created a grave concern and awareness about the importance of the environment. The researchers/engineers/scientists are now focusing their efforts on the development of technologies that can ensure the sustainable growth of communities. Materials are at the core of every technological advancement. Natural fiber-based composites are a class of sustainable materials being used in diverse engineering applications, ranging from automotive to household goods. The processing methods, such as hand lay-up, injection, and compression molding are used extensively to fabricate simple composite parts. However, for complex/intricate product designs, the parts/components are made independently and these are assembled to get the final product. Joining thus becomes an inevitable process ensuring the assembly of parts/components. In the current experimental investigation, the hot-plate welding (HPW) behavior of sisal/jute fiber (both woven and short) reinforced polypropylene (PP) composite specimens fabricated using direct compression molding(DCM) and Extrusion injection molding (EIM) have been analyzed. The process parameters optimization has been achieved using the Taguchi experimental design approach. The hot plate welded joints of jute/sisal/PP composites were further investigated on the basis of their flexural and tensile properties. The failed joint specimens were characterized using TGA and XRD characterization techniques to analyze any changes occurred in their thermal degradation and crystalline behavior during welding process. The failure mechanisms of the joints have been thoroughly analyzed using SEM micrographs.

Automated summary

The recent global pandemic has led to a heightened concern and awareness about the importance of the environment, driving researchers to focus on developing technologies for sustainable community growth. Natural fiber-based composites are widely used in engineering applications, but for complex designs, assembly through joining of independently fabricated parts is necessary.