International Conference on Current Research in Engineering Science and Technology (ICCREST-2016)
INVESTIGATION ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF
MADAR FIBER REINFORCED IN POLYMER MATRIX
COMPOSITES
C.Kandeepan Dr,K.Raja
PG Scholar Assitant professor
Anna University Regional Campus University college of Enginering
Madurai Dindugal
Abstract -Bio fibers had recently become eye catching for the
scientists and engineers due to its high mechanical strength. In
this present work, newly identified madder fiber is used for
making composite material the fiber is extracted from the stem
by manual process. The fiber is separated into small parts and
then it is mixed with polyester resin .Five plates were going to be
made by 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% by mass of the fiber. The
mechanical properties of the plates such as tensile strength,
compressive strength, impact strength and compressive strength
of each plate was tested.
keywords—madar fiber, polyester resin,
1 INTRODUCTION
Composite are combination of two or more than two
materials in which one of the material, is reinforcing
phase(polymer, metal or ceramic) composite material are
usually classified by type of reinforcement such as polymer
composite ,cement and metal matrix composite polymer
matrix composite are mostly commercially produced
composites in which resin is used as matrix with different
reinforcing material . Polymer (resin) is classified in two types
thermoplastic (PE, PP, PEEK, PVC, PS, Polyolefins etc) and
thermo set (epoxy, polyester and phenol-formaldehyde resin
etc) which reinforces different type of fiber like natural (plant,
animal, mineral) and manmade fiber for different application.
Composites are now extensively being used for rehabilitation/
strengthening of pre-existing structures that have to be
retrofitted to make them seismic resistant, or to repair damage
caused by seismic activity. Unlike conventional materials
(e.g., steel), the properties of the composite material can be
designed considering the structural aspects. Composite
materials are broadly, classified into three groups on the basis
of matrix material. They are
• Metal Matrix Composites (MMC)
• Ceramic Matrix Composites
(CMC)
• Polymer Matrix Composites
(PMC)
Two types of polymer composites are
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P.Ganeshan
Research scholar
University college of Enginering
Dindugal
• Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP)
• Particle reinforced polymer (PRP)
1.1 Natural fiber composites :
The interest in natural fiber-reinforced polymer
composite materials is rapidly growing both in terms of their
industrial applications and fundamental research. They are
renewable, cheap, completely or partially recyclable, and
biodegradable. Plants, such as flax, cotton, hemp, jute, kenaf,
pineapple, ramie, bamboo, banana, etc., as well as wood, used
from time immemorial as a source of lignocellulose fibers, are
more and more often applied as the reinforcement of
composites. Their availability, renewability, low density, and
price as well as satisfactory mechanical properties make them
an attractive ecological alternative to glass, carbon and man-
made fibers used for the manufacturing of composites. The
natural fiber-containing composites are more environmentally
friendly, and are used in transportation (automobiles, railway
coaches, aerospace), military applications, building and
construction industries (ceiling paneling, partition boards),
packaging, consumer products, etc. The term “natural fibers”
covers a broad range of vegetable, animal, and mineral fibers.
However, in the composites industry, it usually refers to wood
fiber and agro based bast, leaf, seed, and stem fibers. These
fibers often contribute greatly to the structural performance of
the plant and, when used in plastic composites, can provide
significant reinforcement.One of the largest areas of recent
growth in natural fiber plastic composites is the automotive
industry, particularly in Europe, where natural fibers are
advantageously used as a result of their low density and
increasing environmental pressures. Increased technical
innovations, identification of new applications, continuing
political and environmental pressures, and government
investment in new methods for fiber harvesting and processing
are leading to projections of continued growth in the use of
natural fibers in composites, with expectation of reaching
100,000 tons per annum.
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 International Conference on Current Research in Engineering Science and Technology (ICCREST-2016)
1.2 Classification of natural fibers:
Composites, due to their heterogeneous composition,
provide unlimited possibilities of deriving any characteristic
material behavior. This unique flexibility especially molding
to any shape with polymer composites, repair ability,
corrosion resistance, durability, adaptability and cost
effectiveness, etc. have attracted the attention of many users in
several engineering applications Cellulose fibers are flexible
but possess high strength. The more closely packed cellulose
provides higher density and higher strength. The walls of these
hollow elongated cells are the primary load-bearing
components of trees and plants. Depends on the cellulosic
content the composites are classified as
Fig.1Classification of natural fibers
1.3 Advantages of Composites:
Advantages of composites over their conventional
counterparts are the ability to meet diverse design
requirements with significant weight savings as well as
strength-to-weight ratio. The biggest advantage of modern
composite materials is that they are light as well as strong. By
choosing an appropriate combination of matrix and
reinforcement material, a new material can be made that
exactly meets the requirements of a particular application.
Composites also provide design flexibility because many of
them can be molded into complex shapes. The downside is
often the cost. Although the resulting product is more
efficient, the raw materials are often expensive.
Some advantages of composite materials over
conventional ones are as follows
 Tensile strength of composites is four to six
times greater than that of steel or aluminum
(depending on the reinforcements).
 Improved torsional stiffness and impact
properties.
 The mechanical performance of natural fiber
reinforced plastics varies greatly depending on the
type of natural fibers, fiber treatments, and the type
of plastic, additives, and processing methods.
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 Higher fatigue endurance limit (up to 60% of
ultimate tensile strength).
 30% - 40% lighter for example any particular
aluminum structures designed to the same functional
requirements.
 Lower embedded energy compared to other structural
metallic materials like steel, aluminum etc.
 Composites are less noisy while in operation and
provide lower vibration transmission than metals.
 Composites are more versatile than metals and can be
tailored to meet performance needs and complex
design requirements.
 Long life offer excellent fatigue, impact,
environmental resistance and reduce maintenance.
 Composites enjoy reduced life cycle cost compared
to metals.
 Composites exhibit excellent corrosion resistance and
fire retardance.
 Improved appearance with smooth surfaces and
readily incorporable integral decorative melamine are
other characteristics of composites.
 Composite parts can eliminate joints / fasteners,
providing part simplification and integrated design
compared to conventional metallic parts.
2 . MATERIALS AND METHODS
Fiber used
Fig.2 Calotropis plant
calotropis
Akund floss, also called calotropis floss, ask, madar,
or mader, downy seed fiber obtained from Calotropis
procera and C. gigantea, milkweed plants of
the Apocynaceae family (formerly in Asclepiadaceae).
Small trees orshrubs, these two species are native to southern
Asia and Africa and were introduced to South America and
the islands of the Caribbean, where they have naturalized. The
yellowish material is made up of thin fibers 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to
1.2 inches) long and 12 to 42 microns (a micron is about
0.00004 inch) in diameter and is harvested from the seeds by
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 International Conference on Current Research in Engineering Science and Technology (ICCREST-2016)
hand. While akund floss has been used primarily as upholstery
stuffing and is sometimes mixed with the seed fibre kapok, it
has development potential as a new ecological material.
Calotropis yields a durable fiber (commercially known as
Bowstring of India) useful for ropes, carpets, fishing nets, and
sewing thread. Floss, obtained from seeds, is used for stuffing
purposes. Fermented mixture of Calotropis and salt is used to
remove the hair from goat skins for production of "nari
leather" and of sheep skins to make leather which is much
used for inexpensive book-binding (Singh et al. 1996).
Fungicidal and insecticidal properties of Calotropis have been
reported.Ganapathy and Narayanasamy (1993).
prepare molds for the preparation of10%,20%, 30%, 40%,
50%, fiber of the composite. A clean smooth surfaced wooden
board is taken and washed thoroughly. The Steel plate was
covered with a mold release sheet. After the mold preparation
the grass fibers are placed in the mold and then the polyester
hardener mixture is poured gently for each molds for making
five plates with different volume fraction such as 10%, 20%,
30%, 40%, and 50%.Then the mold is set at room temperature
for 24 hours .care should be taken to avoid bubbles as if
bubbles produced will affect the plate formed. The fibers are
aligned in unidirectional for producing composites.

2.1 Fiber extraction process

Fiber extraction process of the madar fiber is usually
done by the help of water retting process .In this process the
stem with high fiber and lignin content is placed in a water
body for 6 to 8 days .The water body may running water body
as rivers or stagnant one like lake. During this period
microbial action takes place in stem and leads to separation of
fibers and thus finally fiber is extracted by water retting
process.
2.2 Resin used
Fig.3 Mould Dimension
A polyester resin is comprised of an unsaturated
backbone polymer dissolved in a reactive monomer. The 3. CASTING
polyester backbone polymer is formed by condensation of a
mixture of dibasic acids (saturated and unsaturated) and one or The madar fiber prepared in the above steps were put on
more glycols. Vinyl-ester resins are high performance the already designed mold. After putting the madar fiber in the
polyester resins, which are acrylic esters of epoxy resins mold, the polymer-hardener mixture was slowly poured over
dissolved in styrene monomer Polyester resins can be it. Madar fiber due to its light weight and high volume gets
reinforced with almost all types of reinforcements to make swelled up. For that reason only we roll a roller gently till the
polyester composites. Polyester resins are cheaper and more sample fits in the mould. Then we cover the sample with a
versatile, but inferior to epoxy resins in some respects. non-reacting plastic cover and place the glass on it such that
Polyester resin material is a three-component material. no voids or air gaps leave behind. These voids weaken the
However, the manufacturer mixes the two reactive parts. At composite and makes testing difficult. For the composite of
the time of application, a catalyst is added to start the reaction. perfect dimension weight should be carefully put above it.
Then the material is sprayed onto the roadway. The material Weight should be put in such a way that no polymer hardener
has the potential to be 100 percent solid. This depends on how mixture seeps out of the glass.
fast the reaction takes place. The styrene is volatile prior to the
reaction. Heat is not typically added to the system except The composite sheet takes 24 hrs.for curing in room
when cure time is expected to be long, such as on cool spring temperature. Then the samples were cut into desired
or fall days. The catalyst is added to drive the reaction. dimensions for experimental purposes depending on the
Usually, the catalyst is methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) or benzoyl standards.
peroxide. The polyester resin and the styrene solvent react
together to crosslink, or polymerize, to form a film. The
polyester resin system will not cure properly if the appropriate
quantity of catalyst is not added.
4.4 Polymer-Hardener Mixture Preparation
A measured amount of polymer was taken for
different volume fraction of fiber composite and mixed with
the hardener in the ratio 4:1. The mixture was stirred properly
for uniform mixing. Care was taken to avoid formation of
bubbles.

4. PREPARATION OF COMPOSITES Fig.4 Composite preparation

For the sample preparation the first and foremost step is
the preparation of the mold which ensures the dimension of 4.1 Fabrication of composite plates:
300×300×30 mm the composite to be prepared. We have to

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 International Conference on Current Research in Engineering Science and Technology (ICCREST-2016)
In this work the fabrication of composite plate is done by
taking the fiber orientation as random discontinuous. While
preparing sample the mold should be prepared in the
dimension of 300×300×3mm.A flat plate is placed and it’s
applied with wax and OHP sheet is placed over it. In this flat
surface the prepared mold is placed and the fiber resin mixture
for the different composition such as 20%, 30%, 40% and
50% of fiber were poured over it and made to spread over the
entire mold and the OHP sheet is placed over it, over this is a
flat surface is placed. Then we cover the sample with a non-
reacting plastic cover and place the glass on it such that no
voids or air gaps leave behind. These voids weaken the
composite and makes testing difficult. For the composite of
perfect dimension weight should be carefully put above it and
finally large amount of uniformly distributed load is placed Fig.6 flexural testing machine
over it to get the smooth surface.
4.2.3 Impact testing:
4.2 Testing of composites: Impact test shows that the maximum energy absorbed
by the material when impact load subject on it. The specimen
4.2.1 Tensile test: are cut by the saw cutting as per the ASTM standards of
The prepared composite plates are cut by saw cutting 62.5×12.5×3mm. the specimen was gripped in the impact
to get the dimensions of the specimen for tensile testing as per testing machine with charpy arrangement and the sudden
ASTM standards of 165×25×3 mm and the test was carried impact load is subjected by the pendulum until it fractures and
out by using universal testing machine. The specimens are the corresponding energy absorbed by the material was noted.
gripped in the universal testing machine and the test results are Shown in Fig 7
noted with respect to strain till the specimen gets fractured.
Shown in Fig 5

Fig.7 Impact testing machine

4.2.4 Compressive testing:

The prepared composite plates are cut by saw cutting
to get the dimensions of the specimen for compressive testing
as same as tensile testing as per ASTM standards of 165×25×3
Fig.5 Tensile testing machine mm and the test was carried out by using universal testing
machine. The specimens are gripped in the universal testing
4.2.2 Flexural test: machine and the test results are noted with respect to strain till
Flexural test exhibits the behavior of the material the specimen gets fractured. Shown in Fig 8
when subjected by the maximum stress applied in it. The
specimens are cut by saw cutting as per the ASTM standards
of 125×12.5×3 mm. The specimen loaded on its midpoint
when it is subjected to simple beam loading, the flexural test
used to determine the maximum stress induced in the material.
Shown in Fig 6

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 International Conference on Current Research in Engineering Science and Technology (ICCREST-2016)

60

Flextural Strength in Mpa

50
40
30
20
10
0
50/50 40/60 30/70 20/80
Fiber to resin ratio
Fig.8 Compressive testing machine

5. Results and discussion: Table.2

Tensile strength:
Initially the tensile strength values increase form 20% Fiber to resin ratio
Flexural strength
fiber to 40% fiber plate and finally decreased at 50% fiber
50/50 38.3
plate. The is shows that the tensile strength value is better at
60% resin and 40% fiber plate 40/60 56.2

50 30/70 44.7
Tensile Strength in

40
20/80 34.6
30
Mpa

20
10 Impact strength:
0 The impact strength value of the mader
fiber value increase from 20% fiber plate to
50/50 40/60 30/70 20/80
40% fiber plate and then suddenly decrease at
Fiber to resin ratio 50% fiber and 50% resin plate. This shows
Fig.9 Tensile strength that impact strength value better at 60% resin
Table.1 and 40% fiber plate.
Fiber to resin ratio Tensile strength 3
Impact strength in J

50/50 21.3 2.5

40/60 38.4 2
1.5
30/70 34.82
1
20/80 25.72 0.5
0
50/50 40/60 30/70 20/80
Fiber to resin ratio
Flexural Strength: Table.3
The flexural strength value for the mader fiber
increase initially from 20% fiber plate to 40% fiber plate and Fiber to resin ratio Impact strength
suddenly decreased at 50% fiber and 50% resin this implies 50/50 0.76
flexural strength value is better at 60% resin and 40%fiber.
40/60 2.722
30/70 1.576
20/80 1.001
Compressive strength
The compressive strength value of the madar fiber
increase from 20% fiber plate to 40% fiber plate and suddenly

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 International Conference on Current Research in Engineering Science and Technology (ICCREST-2016)
decrease at 50% fiber plate this shows that compressive 6. Sathishkumar T.P, Navaneethakrishnan P, Shankar S
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