Experimental investigation on the behavior of epoxy/peepal composites fortified with silica and silicon carbide nanoparticles for industrial applications

Natural composites play a crucial role in industries due to low density, environment friendly and low cost. However, the performance is limited compared to conventional materials. Hence, it is necessary to perform research on the improvement of the strength of natural composites. Peepal fiber is one of the natural fibers noticed by a limited number of researchers. Hence, an attempt has been made to reveal new scientific information of peepal fiber-based composites. In this research, the natural composite was made using peepal fiber and epoxy resin by the hand layup process. Further, nanofillers like silica (SiO2) and silicon carbide (SiC) were used as reinforcing agents. Both reinforcements were added with the epoxy/peepal (70:30) composite as fixed quantity (2 wt%) for comparison purposes. The performance of composites was assessed concerning the reinforcement type. Materials such as epoxy/peepal, epoxy/peepal/2 wt% SiO2, epoxy/peepal/2 wt% SiC and epoxy/peepal/1 wt% SiO2/1 wt% SiC were fabricated. Investigation on mechanical, thermal in addition to water intake characteristics was made. Epoxy/peepal/2 wt% SiO2 composite exhibited maximum tensile, flexural, impact and hardness of 88, 72 MPa, 9.5 kJ/m2 and 77 shore-d respectively. Further, the same composite showed the least thermal conductivity and low water absorption.

Automated summary

Natural composites, with advantages of low density, environmental friendliness, and low cost, are widely used in industries. However, their performance is limited compared to conventional materials. In this study, new scientific information on peepal fiber-based composites was revealed. By using a hand layup process, natural composites were made using peepal fiber and epoxy resin, and nanofillers like silica and silicon carbide were used as reinforcing agents. The performance of composites was evaluated in terms of mechanical, thermal, and water intake characteristics, with the epoxy/peepal/2 wt% SiO2 composite showing the best overall performance.