Influence of Silanized Pectin Derived from Dragon Fruit Peel and its Toughening Effect on Pineapple Fibre-Vinyl Ester Composite Subjected to Accelerated Aging

In this research study effect of silane-treated pectin biopolymer from waste dragon fruit peel as filler in the vinyl based composite and its resistance against to load bearing properties when the composite under aging condition. Pectin biopolymer is extracted from dragon fruit peel and pineapple leaf fibre is reinforced into the composite. Both fibre and filler undergo silane treatment to enhance bonding strength. The composite is developed through a hand layup process, and compositional values are documented. The compositesare undergoes temperature aging at 60 °C for 30, 60, and 90 days in a hot air oven. According to results notably, specimen D2 shows minimal reduction in mechanical strength even after 90 days of temperature aging. The tensile strength remained at 118 MPa, flexural strength at 158 MPa, ILSS at 24 MPa, V-notch shear strength at 21.2 MPa, Izod impact at 4.77 J, and hardness at 77 Shore-D. This resilience suggests that the silane treatment on both fibre and pectin played a pivotal role in preserving the mechanical integrity of the composite material, even under prolonged thermal weakening. Similar improvements were observed in fatigue life counts too. The silane treated pectin adhere the fibre and resin well and maintain high structural rigidity. SEM analysis also revealed adhesion improved fibre, improved toughness with fibre, fibre breakage, and minimalfibrepull-out. Overall, these findings offer insights into enhancing composite material properties through the strategic use of silane-treated pectin biopolymer and pineapple fibre reinforcement when aiming for varying in temperature applicable zones such as automotives, structural and drones.