Mechanical and dynamic mechanical analysis of jute and human hair-reinforced polymer composites

Application of light-weight materials in automotive and structural components such as door panel, Dashboard and internal engine cover play a crucial role in the improvement of vehicle performance. Weight reduction of automotive vehicle components results in less fuel consumption, leading to drastic reduction of CO2 emission. Carbon emission can be minimized through replacement of light-weight natural fiber reinforced composite-based components in place of metallic components in the vehicles. Simultaneous application of heat and dynamic loads on polymer composite materials affect crystallinity resulting in the degradation of material properties and its weight. Many researchers have shown interest in the use of bio composites for automotive parts with good mechanical and thermal properties for conventional automotive materials. The present work focuses on the fabrication of jute and human hair-reinforced epoxy-based polymer composites with five different fiber compositions. Mechanical properties such as tensile strength and impact energy were analyzed. Storage modulus, loss modulus and damping behavior under different frequencies constituting a function of increasing temperature was observed. The effect of fiber composition and frequency on dynamic behavior of new combination of natural composites was analyzed for determining the viscoelastic behavior of composites. Mechanical properties were found to increase with increase in human hair composition in the composites. The glass transition temperature (T-g) obtained from storage modulus, loss modulus and damping curve exhibits a temperature between 80 and 95 degrees C for all composites. As a consequence, higher fiber content in matrix was observed to allow greater stress transfer at the interface resulting in high dynamic mechanical properties. The experimental results have shown that the natural fiber-reinforced polymer composite is sustainable in withstanding dynamic loads. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:1132-1141, 2019. (c) 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers