Materials Selection of Thermoplastic Matrices of Natural Fibre Composites for Cyclist Helmet Using an Integration of DMAIC Approach in Six Sigma Method Together with Grey Relational Analysis Approach

Natural fibre reinforced polymer composite(NFRPC)materials are gaining popularity in the modern world due to their eco-friendliness,lightweight nature,life-cycle superiority,biodegradability,low cost,and noble mechanical properties.Due to the wide variety of materials available that have comparable attributes and satisfy the requirements of the product design specification,material selection has become a crucial component of design for engineers.This paper discusses the study’s findings in choosing the suitable thermoplastic matrices of Natural Fibre Composites for Cyclist Helmet utilising the DMAIC,and GRA approaches.The results are based on integrating two decision methods implemented utilising two distinct decision-making approaches:qualitative and quantitative.This study suggested thermoplastic polyethylene as a particularly ideal matrix in composite cyclist helmets during the selection process for the best thermoplastic matrices material using the 6σtechnique,with the decision based on the highest performance,the lightest weight,and the most environmentally friendly criteria.The DMAIC and GRA approach significantly influenced the material selection process by offering different tools for each phase.In the future study,selection technique may have been more exhaustive if more information from other factors had been added.

Optimization of Mortar Compressive Strength Prepared with Waste Glass Aggregate and Coir Fiber Addition Using Response Surface Methodology

Waste Glass(WGs)and Coir Fiber(CF)are not widely utilized,even though their silica and cellulose content can be used to create construction materials.This study aimed to optimize mortar compressive strength using Response Surface Methodology(RSM).The Central Composite Design(CCD)was applied to determine the optimization of WGs and CF addition to the mortar compressive strength.Compressive strength and microstructure testing with Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM),Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy(FT-IR),and X-Ray Diffraction(XRD)were conducted to specify the mechanical ability and bonding between the matrix,CF,and WGs.The results showed that the chemical treatment of CF produced 49.15%cellulose,with an average particle size of 1521μm.The regression of a second-order polynomial model yielded an optimum composition consisting of 12.776%WGs and 2.344%CF with a predicted compressive strength of 19.1023 MPa.C-S-H gels were identified in the mortars due to the dissolving of SiO_(2) in WGs and cement.The silica from WGs increased the C-S-H phase.CF plays a role in preventing,bridging,and branching micro-cracks before reaching maximum stress.WGs aggregates and chemically treated CF are suitable to be composited in mortar to increase compressive strength.

Conceptual design of automobile engine rubber mounting composite using TRIZ-Morphological chart-analytic network process technique

An engine rubber mounting is one of the important parts of a vehicle. It is a function to isolate or absorb and to reduce vibration to the vehicle body thus to the passenger itself. Due to the engine compartments environment such as heat and massive vibration due to road conditions, the engine rubber mountings lifespan has been reduced. Thus several studies have been conducted to upgrade the material lifespan to make it more reliable and better engine mounting components. This paper presents the conceptual design of kenaf fiber polymer as automotive engine rubber mounting composites using the integration of Theory of Inventive Problem Solving(TRIZ). In this early stage, the solution is generated using 40 inventive principles and TRIZ contradiction method. The solution parameter for the specific design character is the selected using the morphological chart to develop a systematic conceptual design for the component. Four(4) innovative design concepts were produced and Analytic Network Process(ANP)methods were utilized to perform the multi-criteria decision-making process of selecting the best concept design for the polymer composite engine rubber mounting component.

Effect of fibre orientations on the mechanical properties of kenaf–aramid hybrid composites for spall-liner application

This paper presents the effect of kenaf fibre orientation on the mechanical properties of kenaf–aramid hybrid composites for military vehicle's spall liner application. It was observed that the tensile strength of woven kenaf hybrid composite is almost 20.78% and 43.55% higher than that of UD and mat samples respectively. Charpy impact strength of woven kenaf composites is 19.78% and 52.07% higher than that of UD and mat kenaf hybrid composites respectively. Morphological examinations were carried out using scanning electron microscopy. The results of this study indicate that using kenaf in the form of woven structure could produce a hybrid composite material with high tensile strength and impact resistance properties.

Hybrid reinforced thermoset polymer composite in energy absorption tube application:A review

The custom of hybridization fibre composite in energy absorption tube application has gained the attention of structural crashworthiness in composite material industry. Thus, the approach of this review is to understand the effect in hybridization within metal/synthetic fibre composite, synthetic/synthetic fibre composite and nature/synthetic fibre composite as energy absorption tube, which reflects on the energy absorption characteristics and crashworthiness behaviors in previous the study. By way of instance, a wide range of methodology and particular parameter in previous study such as the effect in fibre arrangement, matrix polymer, technique of fabrication, fibre treatment(natural fibre), design in geometry/cross-section and others mechanism of hybrid fibre composite tube are highlighted which to comprehend the capability of the mechanical performance and collapsible behavior as sacrificial structure in high-performance structure applications. Moreover, in the recently studies there have been many of the research regarding structural materials as energy absorption tube has been introduced such as metal/matrix composites, new alloy metals and polymer composites which intended to evaluate the performance of these materials into circumstance in loading and impact characteristic. Therefore, this review article is trying to explore the research articles related to the effect of hybridization fibres and thermoset polymer as reinforcement for energy absorption tube research and expected would provide an information and idea which to expend the knowledge in future study of hybridization effect for energy absorption tube, moreover the development for future potential as new hybrid composite fibre materials from the natural/synthetic fibres reinforced composite material in employing of high-performance energy absorption tube application is still less discover and highlighted.

Recent applications of carbon-based composites in defence industry: A review

Carbon-based composites, including carbon reinforced composites and carbon-matrix composites, in defence technologies have raised a lot of attention due to its significant physical capabilities, superior thermal and mechanical stability, and its eco-friendly nature. Carbon-based composite which incorporating with various carbonaceous materials such as coke, char, black carbon, activated carbon, carbon fibre and other carbon nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibres, graphene and graphite) are the greatest viable option for the development of advanced defence technologies. In this review article the characteristics of carbon-based materials and its composites are discussed for their distinct application in defence sectors;aeronautics, maritime, automotive, electronics, energy storage, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and structures. The origin of carbonaceous materials and its production techniques were discussed. Carbon-based composites have a promising future in defence technology, particularly in chemical sensors, drug delivery agents, radar technologies, and nanocomposites due to their low cost, easy availability, flexibility in design and processing.

Material selection of polymeric composite automotive bumper beam using analytical hierarchy process

Selection of materials,as an area of design research,has been under considerable interest over the years.Materials selection is one of the most important activities in the product development process.Inappropriate decision of materials can cause the product to be reproduced or remanufactured.To avoid this circumstance,one of the useful tools that can be employed in determining the most appropriate material is analytical hierarchy process(AHP).To illustrate the application of AHP,six different types of composite materials were considered.The most appropriate one for suitability of use in manufacturing automotive bumper beam was determined by considering eight main selection factors and 12 sub-factors.The AHP analysis reveals that the glass fibre epoxy is the most appropriate material because it has the highest value(25.7%,mass fraction) compared with other materials.The final material is obtained by performing six different scenarios of the sensitivity analysis.It is proved that glass fibre epoxy is the most optimum decision.

Physical and damping properties of kenaf fibre filled natural rubber/thermoplastic polyurethane composites

The paper presents the investigation of the effect of alkaline treatment of sodium hydroxide(NaOH) on physical and dynamic mechanical analysis(DMA) viscoelastic properties of kenaf fibre filled natural rubber(NR)/thermoplastic polyurethane(TPU) composites.The treated kenaf fiber,NR and TPU were weighed and proportioned according to the required compositions and were blended using hot mixed Brabender machine.The polymer composites were then fabricated using the hot press to form a sample board.The sample was cut and prepared and water absorption,density,thickness swelling and DMA tests were performed.As far as physical properties are concerned,composites with the highest NR amount of shows the best results,which indicates good fiber bonding adhesion.The polymer composites with the highest amount of TPU shows the highest damping properties at high temperature.

Crashworthiness performance of hybrid kenaf/glass fiber reinforced epoxy tube on winding orientation effect under quasi-static compression load

This research was aimed to study the effect winding orientation on the crashworthiness performance of hybrid tube.The specimens tested under quasi-static compression load involve of three winding parameters(q?30,45and 70)of hybrid kenaf/glass fiber reinforced epoxy and glass fiber reinforced epoxy as contrast specimen.The automated filament winding technique has been used in fabrication of hybrid and non-hybrid composite tube and crashworthiness performance was investigated experimentally.The effects of winding orientation on energy absorption capabilities and crashworthiness characteristic were investigated through quasi-static compression load and the result are compared with the glass fiber composite tube to justify the capability of hybrid natural/synthetic as energy absorption application.Hybridized samples proved to enhancing the progressive crushing capability as combination of local buckling,delaminate and brittle fracturing as progressive crushing modes.In the view of winding orientation aspect,the results of high winding orientation of hybrid composite tube elevated the crush load efficiency,specific energy absorption and energy absorption capability compared to glass composite tube(GFRP).The hybrid kenaf/glass composite tube with high winding orientation showed the best winding orientation to enhance the energy absorber characteristics as energy absorption application.

Decision Support Strategy in Selecting Natural Fiber Materials for Automotive Side-Door Impact Beam Composites

The enforcement on sustainable design and environmental-friendly products has attracted the interest of researchers and engineers in the context of replacing metals and synthetic fibers with natural based fibers,especially in the automotive industry.However,studies on sustainable natural fiber material selection in the automotive industry are limited.Evaluation for the side-door impact beam was conducted by gathering product design specification from literature which amounted to seven criteria and it was forwarded to ten decision makers with automotive engineering and product design background for evaluation.The weightage required for decision-making was obtained using the Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP)method based on six criteria.Following this,the best natural fiber materials to be used as reinforcement in polymer composites were selected using the VIseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje(VIKOR)method.The results using both the AHP and VIKOR method showed that kenaf was the best natural fiber for the side-door impact beam composites.The result showed the lowest VIKOR value,QA1=0.0000,which was determined to be within the acceptable advantage and acceptable stability conditions.It can be concluded that the application of integrated AHP-VIKOR method resulted in a systematic and justified solution towards the decision-making process.

Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Sugar Palm Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Polyurethane Composites:Effect of Silane Treatment and Fiber Loading

The aim of the present study was to develop sugar palm fiber(SPF)reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane(TPU)composites and to investigate the effects of fiber surface modification by 2%silane treatment and fiber loading(0,10,20,30,40 and 50 wt%)on the mechanical and thermal properties of the obtained composites.Surface treatment was employed to improve the fiber-matrix interface,which was expected to boost the mechanical strength of the composites,in terms of tensile,flexural and impact properties.Thermal properties were also investigated by thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA)and dynamic mechanical analysis(DMA)to assess the thermal stability of the developed composites.Furthermore,scanning electron microscopy(SEM)was used to study the tensile fracture samples of composites with a view towards evaluating the effects of fiber surface treatments on the fiber/matrix interfacial bonding.The findings of this study reveal that the silane treatment has determined good bonding and linkage of the cellulose fiber to the TPU matrix,hence contributing to enhanced mechanical and thermal properties of the composites.The composite formulation with 40 wt%sugar palm fiber loading showed optimum values such as 17.22 MPa for tensile,13.96 MPa for flexural,and 15.47 kJ/m^2 for impact strength.Moreover,the formulations with higher fiber content exhibited satisfactory values of storage modulus and thermal degradation,while their good interfacial adhesion was evidenced by SEM images.

Manufacturing Process Selection of “Green” Oil Palm Natural Fiber Reinforced Polyurethane Composites Using Hybrid TEA Criteria Requirement and AHP Method for Automotive Crash Box

In this study,the best manufacturing process will be selected to build an automotive crash box using green oil palm natural fibre-reinforced polyurethane composite materials.This paper introduces an approach consist of technical aspects(T),the economic point of view(E)and availability(A),and it’s also called as TEA requirement.This approach was developed with the goal of assisting the design engineer in the selection of the best manufacturing process during the design phase at the criteria selection stage.In this study,the TEA requirement will integrate with the analytical hierarchy process(AHP)to assist decision makers or manufacturing engineers in determining the most appropriate manufacturing process to be employed in the manufacture of a composite automotive crash box(ACB)at the early stage of the product development process.It is obvious that a major challenge in the manufacturing selection process is lack of information regarding manufacturing of ACB using natural fibre composite(NFC).There have been no previous studies that examined ranking manufacturability processes in terms of their suitability.Therefore,the TEA-AHP hybrid method was introduced to provide unprejudiced criteria-ranking selection prior to evaluation of pairwise comparisons.At the end of this study,the pulforming process was selected as the best manufacturing process for fabrication of the ACB structural component.

Vertex angles effects in the energy absorption of axially crushed kenaf fibre-epoxy reinforced elliptical composite cones

Experimental quasi-static crushing tests were conducted by using a universal testing machine format kenaf-epoxy composite elliptical cones. The work focused on the vertex angle's effects on energy absorption capability; the vertex angles vary from 0° to 24° in 6 increments. The failure modes of the kenaf fibre epoxy composite elliptical cones were observed utilising delegate photos taken during the quasistatic crushing test. Load-deformation curves and deformation histories of typical specimens are presented and discussed. Moreover, the effects of cone vertex angles on the load carrying capacity and the energy absorption capability are also discussed. The results show that the energy absorption abilities significantly influence the ellipticity vertex angle as the load carrying capacity. We concluded that the quasi-static axial crushing behaviour of elliptical mat laminated composite cones is strongly affected by their structural geometry and the specific energy absorbed by the composite elliptical cones with vertex angles of 6°, 12°, 18°, and 24°, which is more than an elliptical cone with the vertex angle of 0°(the elliptical tube) at any given deformation. However, the specific energy absorption for the elliptical composite cone showed a positive correlation, i.e., the more the angle increased, the more energy was absorbed. In this regard, an elliptical composite cone with a 24° angle exhibited the best energy absorption capability.

Conceptual Design of Glass/Renewable Natural Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Hybrid Composite Motorcycle Side Cover

This paper presents the development process relating to the conceptual design of glass/renewable natural fibrereinforced polymer hybrid composite motorcycle side cover.Motorcycle side cover is a component frequently made from plastic or steel that functions on covering the motorcycle parts,components and systems such as frame,battery,electrical systems and mechanical systems.Function Analysis Systems Techniques(FAST)is used to identify the functions of motorcycle side cover.The right-side cover of motorcycle model SYM E-Bonus 110 has been physically studied to identify the competitive benchmarking criteria.The functions and competitive benchmarking criteria are then compiled and integrated with the environmental requirements to identify the Product Design Specifications(PDS).The coir fibre has been selected from six identified dominant renewable natural fibre used for automotive component through integration of Ranking Method and Quality Based Selection(QBS).Then the polypropylene matrix is selected after shortlisting the existing thermoplastic that is used with coir fibre and has high suitability for injection moulding manufacturing.The polypropylene matrix is then evaluated using Weighted Evaluation Matrix(WEM)by comparing to benchmark material which is Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene(ABS).After that,the conceptual design development of glass/renewable coir fibre-reinforced polypropylene motorcycle side cover is carried out using an integrated Theory of Inventive Problem Solving(TRIZ)and Morphological Chart,followed by final conceptual design selection using integration of Pugh Scoring Method and QBS.The conceptual design development intended on improving the biodegradability to reduce pollution to the environment.However,the usage of glass/coir fibre-reinforced polypropylene hybrid composite may increase the weight due to higher density.Four innovative design concepts have been developed and the selected final concept design has the most minimum number of ribs and minimum thickness with the same ratio of glass fibre and natural fibre composition.

Defence technology: Special issue on “composite materials in defence technology”

In recent years,composite materials have been used in many industries such as in automotive,aerospace,telecommunication,marine,furniture,construction and defence.Body amour and tank spall liners are examples of the use of composites in defence industry.Composites have many different attributes that are unique over conventional materials like metals,polymers and ceramics.Those attributes include light weight,high specific stiffness and strength properties,corrosion resistance,aesthetically pleasing and ease of fabrication.Advanced composites such as aramid and carbon fibre polymer composites,metal matrix composites,ceramic matrix composites,and nanocomposites are among material contenders in defence technology applications requiring excellent structural integrity.Composites are also used in some non-structural applications in selected components utilising the low cost advantage of glass fibre and natural fibre composites.

Conceptual Design and Selection of Natural Fibre Reinforced Biopolymer Composite (NFBC) Takeout Food Container

Biopolymer composite has gained huge attention for its beneficial properties such as biodegradable and less impact to the environment.This consequently would diminish the dependency on the petroleum-based polymer.Abundance of studies have been done on the development and characterization of biopolymer composite materials for food packaging application,but work on the conceptual design of biopolymer composite packaging product is hardly found.Using the Kano Model,Quality Function Deployment for Environment(QFDE),morphological map,and Analytic Hierarchy Method(AHP)framework combination,this paper presents the conceptual design of a natural fibre reinforced biopolymer composites take-out food container.To understand customer satisfaction with the current use of takeout food containers,the Kano model was applied,and the findings were integrated into QFDE.The highest weight of voices of customer and environment(VOCE)as the solution parameters for the design characteristics were later refined using the aid of morphological chart(MC)to systematically develop conceptual designs.Lastly,AHP was utilized to pick the final concept design.The concept design with the highest score(8.3%)was chosen as the final conceptual design.

Conceptual Design of Natural Fiber Composites as a Side-Door Impact Beam Using Hybrid Approach

This paper presents the conceptual design stage in the product development process of a natural fiber composites of the side-door impact beam,which starts from idea generation to the selection of the best design concept.This paper also demonstrates the use of the integrated Theory of Inventive Problem Solving(Function-Oriented Search)(TRIZ(FOS))and Biomimetics method,as well as the VIseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje(VIKOR)method.The aim of this study was to generate design concepts that were inspired by nature and to select the best design concept for the composite side-door impact beam.Subsequently,eight design concepts were generated using the TRIZ(FOS)-Biomimetics method and finite element analysis were used to analyse their performance and weight criteria using ANSYS software.VIKOR method was used as the multiple criteria decision making tools to compare their performances,weight and cost criteria.As a result,design concepts B-03 and C-02 were ranked as the first and second best,with VIKOR value of 0.0156 and 0.1178,respectively,which satisfied the conditions in VIKOR method.This paper shows that the integrated method of TRIZ(FOS)-Biomimetics and VIKOR can assist researchers and engineers in developing designs that are inspired by nature,as well as in selecting the best design concept using a systematic strategy and justified solutions during the conceptual design stage.

Material Selection of a Natural Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites using an Analytical Approach

Material selection has become a critical part of design for engineers,due to availability of diverse choice of materials that have similar properties and meet the product design specification.Implementation of statistical analysis alone makes it difficult to identify the ideal composition of the final composite.An integrated approach between statistical model and micromechanical model is desired.In this paper,resultant natural fibre and polymer matrix from previous study is used to estimate the mechanical properties such as density,Young’s modulus and tensile strength.Four levels of fibre loading are used to compare the optimum natural fibre reinforced polymer composite(NFRPC).The result from this analytical approach revealed that kenaf/polystyrene(PS)with 40%fibre loading is the ideal composite in automotive component application.It was found that the ideal composite score is 1.156 g/cm^(3),24.2 GPa and 413.4 MPa for density,Young’s modulus and tensile strength,respectively.A suggestion to increase the properties on Young’s modulus are also presented.This work proves that the statistical model is well incorporated with the analytical approach to choose the correct composite to use in automotive application.

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF HYBRID GLASS/SUGAR PALM FIBRE REINFORCED UNSATURATED POLYESTER COMPOSITES

A research has been carried out to investigate the mechanical properties of composites made by hybridizing sugar palm fibre （Arenga pinnata） with glass fibre into an unsaturated polyester matrix. Hybrid composites of glass/sugar palm fibre were fabricated in different weight ratios of strand mat glass fibres ： sugar palm fibres 4：0, 4：1, 4：2, 4：3, 4：4, and 0：4. The hybrid effects of glass and sugar palm fibre on tensile, flexural and impact properties of the composites were evaluated according to ASTM D5083, ASTM D790 and ASTM D256 respectively. Results have been established that properties of hybrid glass/sugar palm composites such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, elongation at break, toughness, flexural strength, flexural modulus and impact strength are a function of fibre content. The failure mechanism and the adhesion between fibres/matrix were studied by observing the scanning electron micrographs of impact fracture samples. In general, the incorporation of both fibres into unsaturated polyester matrix shows a regular trend of increase in the mechanical properties.

Numerical modelling for lubrication of the rolling process line contact by hard EHL theory using boundary elebent method

The contact characteristics of rigid cylinders lubricated by Newtonian liquids are inves-tigated in this paper using hard elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) theory. Numerical modelingis formulated for the coupled set of generalized pressure and plane strain elasticity equations for afinite plane model and a circular representation of the junction under a pure hard rolling line con-tact using boundary element method (BEM). Also a numerical routine is developed to compute filmthickness and pressure profiles and the results are evaluated for a range of possible dimen-sionless parameters such as speed and load. The hydrodynamic equation is also transformed intoa form of boundary integral equation, which is solved by Simpson’s rule. The elasticity equationwith boundary conditions was solved by constant and quadratic elements based on an iterativeprocedure by assuming an initial film thickness. From the comparative study between the presentNewtonian model and the previously published results proved to be very effective and efficient andhigh precision is easily achieved for such rolling elements as well. The computed results areshown to be amenable to standard boundary element formulation of EHL problem in the contactregion and show that speed and load have influential effects on the lubricating film shape.