Assessment and Response of Treated Cocos nucifera Reinforced Toughened Epoxy Composite Towards Fracture and Viscoelastic Properties
The current research work is dedicated to addressing the fibre orientation problem and environmental issues through the development of micron-sized coir particle reinforced epoxy composite with enhanced fracture toughness and viscoelastic properties. A ‘specific grade’ standard epoxy adhesive based polymer composite is produced with reinforcement of surface modified coir particle filler. The surface modification on raw coir filler is carried out by NaOH and confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffractogram and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The reduced intensity of hydroxide functional group as well as the enhanced thermal stability of surface modified coir filler is observed by FTIR and TGA respectively. The properties of produced composite samples are investigated by tensile test with low to high strain rate, fracture toughness test and dynamic mechanical analysis. The investigation revealed an improvement in tensile strength, fracture toughness and storage modulus values of toughened coir–epoxy composite with filler loading. The maximum value of ultimate tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and fracture toughness were 27.58 MPa, 0.738 GPa and 1.792 MPa m{sup 1/2}. The constraints like strain rate and filler content demarcated some critical effects on tensile strength, Young’s modulus and modulus of rupture. The research work suggests the applicability of the developed material as household items, replacement of timber product for indoor and outdoor decorations.