Sivarao Subramonian

Effect Of Fiber Loading On The Mechanical Properties Of Bagasse Fiber–Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

It is evident that sugarcane/bagasse is a highly potential natural composite fiber. In this study, the correlation of composition fiber amount to the mechanical strength was presented. Bagasse was treated with alkali and then reinforced in polypropylene by means of hot pressing. Fiber loading was set to be varied from 10 to 20 wt%. Composite samples were subjected to tensile, hardness, and flexural characterization. Composites with 30 wt% of fiber loading registered maximum tensile strength while with 10 wt% fiber loading registered the minimum. Hardness increases with the amount of fiber. Flexural strength and flexural modulus were found to be greater than original polypropylene. Scanning electron microscopy examination revealed the mechanisms of the strength gain in morphological point of view. The findings give manufactures and engineers a sound basis decision whether to apply the use of this composite for weight reduction especially in automotive applications or not.

Acoustic Benefits of Ecofriendly Spent Tea Leaves Filled Porous Material

This paper demonstrates the feasibility of spent tea leaf (STL) fiber as an eco-friendly sound absorbing material. STL fiber is a by-product which was extracted from tea plant. STL are rich in polyphenols (tannins) which cause high resistance to fungal and termites, and high resistance to fire. In addition, STL are hollow and cellular in nature and thus perform well as acoustic and thermal insulators. Three different grades of STL were studied and the acoustic property was analyzed in terms of sound absorption coefficient and transmission loss. Experimental measurements of sound absorption coefficient in impedance tube are conducted. It was found that finest STL fiber grade exhibits better acoustic performance among others. Furthermore, the effect of latex binder on the acoustic property of STL fiber was also analyzed. Results suggest that the types of binder such as polyurethane and latex influenced the acoustic performance of STL fiber.

Optimisation of Machining Parameters for Milling Polyetheretherketones (PEEK) Biomaterial

Polyetheretherketones (PEEK) has been widely used as biomaterial for trauma, orthopaedic and spinal implants. Component made from Polyetheretherketones generally required additional machining process for finishing which can be a problem especially to attain a good surface roughness and dimensional precision. This research attempts to optimize the machining and processing parameters (cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut) for effectively machining Polyetheretherketones (PEEK) implant material using carbide cutting tools. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) technique was used to assess the effects of the parameters and their relations towards the surface roughness values. Based on the analysis results, the optimal machining parameters for the minimum surface roughness values were by using cutting speed of 5754 rpm, feed rate of 0.026 mm/tooth and 5.11 mm depth of cut (DOC).

Prediction of the bending strength using response surface methodology

Response surface methodology (RSM) is a collection of data that used mathematical and statistical technique to model and analyze problem in which the response (output) are influenced by several factors (parameters). In this study, a mathematical model was developed using RSM to predict the bending strength of aluminium alloys 6064 weldment. Data analysis is performed using Design Expert 7.03. The adequacy of the models has been attempted by using analysis-of-variance (ANOVA) technique. Experimental results showed that model has 90% confidence level and the model can be use to predict the bending strength of Aluminium alloys 6064 weldments within the range of parameter considered in this investigation.