Mechanical Properties of Banana Pseudo Stem Fibre Reinforced Epoxy Composite as a Replacement for Transtibial Prosthetic Socket
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Date
2016
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Publisher
Association of Professional Engineers of Trinidad and Tobago
Abstract
Using natural plant fibres as reinforcement in polymers has earned relevance in recent years due to their eco-friendly nature. Thus, an investigation was undertaken on banana pseudo stem, a natural fibre abundantly available in Nigeria. Banana pseudo stem fibres are not only strong and lightweight, but also relatively inexpensive for they are often considered as waste. The purpose of this study is to establish the tensile, flexural, and hardness properties of banana pseudo stem reinforced in epoxy composite materials. This is projected to serve as a replacement to the currently used synthetic glass fibre transtibial prosthetic socket. The resin used was epoxy (TKL 121). Composite samples, after treatment of the continuous fibres with 5 % NaOH and 2 % ascetic acid solution, were prepared manually using hand-lay-up method with the fibre ratio of 0, 20, 30, 40 and 50 %. The results of 30 % glass fibre polyester composite (GFPC) were compared with those of banana pseudo stem epoxy composite (BPEC) produced in this study. The tensile, hardness and impact tests of BPEC at 40 % fibre content were 64.23 ± 4.11 MPa, 63.31 ± 0.03 MPa, 55.23 ± 0.20 BHR, respectively. These were slightly lower than those of the glass fibre composite, which are respectively 65.72 ± 3.30 MPa, 66.10 ± 1.88 MPa, and 61.05 ± 1.77 BHR. Consequently, BPEC can further be developed to serve as a potential replacement for glass fibre composite in prosthetic socket application using standard production procedure.
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Keywords
Banana pseudo stem fibre, biomaterials, chemical treatment, Epoxy, prosthetic socket