Lakshumu Naidu A - Mechanical engineering, GMRIT
SRINIVAS KONA - Mechanical Engineering, GMR Institute of Technology, Rajam, India

Effect of addition of filler material to the natural fiber composite was experimentally investigated. Composites are manufactured by the conventional hand-layup method. All composites are made with a fixed banana fiber with 15% weight fraction addition of different weight fraction of (0, 3, 5, 7.5%) groundnut shell ash is added to the composite. Tensile, hardness, impact and compressive strength are conducted to find the mechanical behaviour of the composites. Preparation and testing were conducted according to ASTM standards. Results illustrate that mechanical properties are improved by the addition of groundnut shell ash to the epoxy based banana fiber composite. Natural fiber composites are predominantly used in automobile (Door pannels, interior parts and cabin linings), aerospace and packing material. Natural fibers have more advantages like low cost, biodegradable and low density than the inorganic materials, the environmental impact of the natural fibers are less compared to synthetic fibers.

Reinforced Polymer Composites, Banana Fibers, Mechanical properties, Groundnut Shell Ash