Design and optimization of natural fibre reinforced epoxy composites for automobile application

The natural fiber reinforced polymer (NFRP) composites are being widely used as replacement for conventional materials in various automobile and aerospace applications. Natural fiber possesses properties such as high specific strength, lighter weight, biodegradable, low cost and readily available. The main objective of using NFRP’s in this study is to enhance the strength and reduce the weight of automobile parts. Mudguard in a two wheeler is provided to prevent mud, water and debris to fall on the rider and vehicle from the rotating tyre. In this present study, Mudguard was fabricated using natural fiber reinforced epoxy composite. Natural fibers such as Sisal, Ramie and Pineapple were used as reinforcements for Epoxy matrix. Alkaline treatment was carried out on the fibers before the fabrication. Five composite plates of size 300mm * 300mm*3mm were fabricating by using Hand layup method by varying the stacking sequence. The mechanical testing was carried out on all the composite plates to determine their tensile strength, compressive strength, impact strength and water absorption property according to ASTM standards. Based on the mechanical properties, the best combination of fibers was chosen and fabricated the mudguard by hand layup method using this composition of composite. This paper also presents the method for investigation of drilling parameters on selected composite based on Taguchi’s method. Thrust force is selected as performance characteristic by varying the various influential parameters such as spindle speed, feed rate and drill bit diameter.