Abstract:
Due to the increasing global campaign to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and
the need for sustainability in manufacturing, research is being focused on renewable
and environmentally friendly materials to substitute synthetic and petroleum-based
products. Natural fiber-reinforced polymeric composites are being investigated as
potential substitutes for synthetic materials. In this research study, the suitability
of coconut fiber-reinforced polypropylene as a structural material has been explored.
By investigating these composites, the research contributes to the global shift toward
environmentally friendly and renewable alternatives to synthetic materials. Samples of
coconut fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites were prepared using fused filament
fabrication and the tensile properties, flexural stiffness, and compression properties
were tested for different proportions of coconut fiber and fused filament fabrication
print speed factors. Analysis of variance was used to determine the critical factors that
influence a specific output parameter. It was established that both the proportions
of coconut fiber and print speed affect the mechanical properties of the polymeric
composite, with the proportion of coconut fiber having the highest impact on the
mechanical properties of the composite. Grey Relational Analysis was employed to
determine the optimum input variables that produce the best enhanced mechanical
properties. The optimum input parameters for maximized mechanical properties were
found to be a fiber loading of 2wt% and a print speed factor of 100%. The optimized
input parameters produced a tensile strength of 34.1 MPa, a Compression strength of
70.5 MPa, a flexural strength of 33.9 MPa, and flexural modulus of 4.7 GPa. Compared
to pure polypropylene, the tensile strength and compression strength were increased
by 52.9% and 19.4%, respectively. The flexural strength and flexural modulus were
increased by 90.5% and 123.8%, respectively. The overall standard deviation for the
measurement of mechanical properties was 6.9%. The composite produced has the
potential to be applied in automobile vehicle parts such as bumper fascia, dashboards,
and door panels.
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