IMPACT OF NANOCLAY ON THERMAL, AND STATIC AND DYNAMIC MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF BAMBOO FIBER REINFORCED UNSATURATED POLYESTER COMPOSITES

In this article, the effects of nanoclay (NCL) filler on thermal and static and dynamic mechanical properties of bamboo fiber reinforced unsaturated polyester (BP) composites were explored. BP composites were prepared with 20 wt% reinforcement of bamboo fiber, and hybrid NCL filled bamboo fiber reinforced unsaturated polyester (NCBP) were prepared by incorporation of NCL in amounts ranging from 1 to 7 wt% (named as 1NCBP, 3NCBP, 5NCBP and 7NCBP, with reference sample – 0NCBP (BP)), using the hand layup process, followed by curing in a compression moulding machine at constant pressure (20 bar). The fabricated BP and NCBP hybrid composites were tested for static mechanical properties as per ASTM standards. By using a dynamic analyser, viscoelastic properties of the composites, such as storage modulus (E’), loss modulus (E”) and damping factor (Tanδ), were investigated. Results revealed that both static and dynamic mechanical properties of the BP composites increased with an increase in NCL loading. Amongst the nanocomposites, 5NCBP was found superior, however, beyond the optimal amount of 5 wt% NCL, the properties of the materials suffered because of nanoclay agglomeration and poor interfacial bonding between fiber, matrix and filler. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the BP composite increased from 109.88 °C to 117.73 °C after adding NCL. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results showed that the presence of NCL delayed thermal degradation of the NCBP nanocomposites and thus improved thermal stability. Mechanically fractured samples of NCBP composites were exposed further by field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM) analysis to understand the failure mechanism they endured.