Bahir Dar University

Bahir Dar Institute of Technology

School of Research and Graduate Studies
Submitted for the
Grand Research Proposal-2011

9.7.2018
A. TITLE OF RESEARCH PROJECT:
Development and Evaluation of Crashworthiness Characteristics of Nacha /epoxy
Fibre Composites -A Case Study of Bumper for an Automobile

B. PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR Male √ Female

Full Name Melak Misganew A. RESEARCH DURATION:
Current Position Lecturer 15 months
Faculty and program Faculty of Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering, Mechanical Design
0918 334 154
______________________________
Cell Phone
Email melakmisganew33@gmail.com
D. TOTAL GRANT REQUEST IN
CO-Investigator -1 Male √ Female BIRR: 108,100 ETB
_______________________________
Full Name Dr.D.K.Nageswara Rao
Current Position Professor, Mech. Design
Faculty and program FMIE E. RESEARCH THEMATIC AREA
Cell Phone 0930 557 387 ( choose from the list at the last
Email dr.dknrao@gmail.com page):
_______________________________
CO-Investigator -2 Male Female
√
Beresaw Belestie
 Green Technology-
Full Name Sustainable utilization of
Current Position Lecturer
biomass
Faculty and program Faculty of Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering, Mechanical Design
Cell Phone 0962919765
Email Bernaldcr7@gmail.com

F. Purpose of Application, if new, put a mark below. If it is continuation, write the title of the
previous project

New Research √ Continuation from:

G. Affiliated to another BiT Projects Yes No If yes state,the name of the project:
√

Signature of Principal Investigator Signature of Respective Chairholder

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Date:9.7.2018
Date:9.7.2018

1. Title of the Research project

The title of the research project should be brief, precise, specific, instructive and unambiguous. It should
be prepared or written in a way that catches the attention of the reader.

Development and Evaluation of Crashworthiness Characteristics of

Nacha /epoxy Fibre Composite-A Case Study of Bumper for an
Automobile

2. Summary of the proposal (maximum 1 page)

The summary should be brief and precise outline of the most relevant topics to be addressed including
problem statement, the proposed objective, methodology; main expected outcome and time frame and
budget allocation of the project

Problem Statement:
Light weight and safety of passengers are the primary concerns in the design of
various components of an automobile. Reduction in weight by using composite materials
may ensure fuel savings. However, that should not sacrifice the safety of the passengers.
Hence, the design of an automobile requires careful consideration from the standpoint of
crashworthiness. Crashworthiness is a process of improving the sturdy performance of a
structure by protecting the occupants from injuries under impact load. Whenever an
accident occurs with a frontal collision, major part of the energy is absorbed by the
bumper. The crashworthiness characteristics of a structural part are specified by the
specific energy absorption (SEA), energy absorption (EA), mean crushing force, crash
load efficiency (CLE) and Mean Crash Force (MCF). As a case study, the proposed
project will develop an automobile bumper using Nacha/epoxy fibre composite and
evaluate its crashworthiness characteristics.

Objective of the Proposed Project:

Ethiopia being an agro-based country has much scope to utilize the agricultural
waste and forest produce for enhancing its industrial production. The global emphasis on

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developing green technologies by utilizing sustainable biomass has motivated to propose
the present project for development of automobile components and presently the bumper.
Substituting metal parts with lighter materials such as natural fibre composites
involves three aspects: design and development of a natural fibre composite bumper,
testing to evaluate the parameters of crashworthiness and the third is to validate the
experimental results by modelling and simulation.
Handling this project will develop technical skills in fabrication of load bearing
automobile components and also establish skill in testing these components under
dynamic/quasi-static loading conditions. Further, it will also enhance the skills for
modelling and simulation.
This project will contribute to establish a natural fibre composites technology
which can be transferred to an industry currently working with glass fibres, etc., to
expand for natural fibre composite products. This will improve self reliance and
increase the gross domestic products (GDP) of the country. Our own products will be
available in the market to replace the damaged parts.

Methodology:
 The Nacha fibres are chosen as reinforcement since these plants grow abundantly
in the forest and dry land areas of Ethiopia. The fibres will be extracted from the
stems of the plant and treated in NaOH solution to improve adhesion with the
matrix.
 Unidirectional fibre mats will be woven using the weaving set up already
prepared for this purpose.
 A sample of discarded bumper beam will be procured to prepare wooden moulds
to fabricate the Nacha fibre/epoxy composite bumper beam by hand moulding
process.
 Required test set up will be developed to simulate the dynamic/quasi–static
loading on the beam to obtain the parameters of crashworthiness.
 Further, CAD model of the bumper will be developed using CATIA software and
the crash loading will be simulated using LS Dyna software.
 This project is planned to complete within 15 months with a budget of 108,100
ETB, the details of which are presented in Table 1of Item 9 of the proposal.

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 -

3. Introduction/Review (maximum of two pages)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The introduction and /or review should include: the background and the state of the art of your field of
study: including the essential references; the most relevant national and international works in the same or
related fields of study. Here the rational for the project and the relevance of this project should be clearly
identified and stated.
\

Current State of the Art of the Field of Study:

In order to increase the fuel mileage and reducing the negative effect of the
vehicle on the environment, the U.S. Congress in 2006 has recommended to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to undertake research based on broad
application of plastics and composites in the automotive industry [1] in developing
various alternate materials and methods of manufacture, testing, evaluation and
modelling and their safe deployment by 2020.
Even before the above recommendation of U.S. Congress in 2006, development
of fibre composites for automotive parts was in progress to establish the influencing
parameters for energy absorption capabilities [2-5]. Aluminium alloy bumper beam was
studied by Wang [6] carbon/epoxy by Zhou [7] and Wang [8]. Studies are conducted on
the bumper beam made of different materials such as glass, basalt fibres, flax, kenaf,
bamboo, etc., to evaluate their energy absorption capabilities for crashworthiness as well
as for weight reduction as a substitute for steel [9-19]. It was found that flax can
substitute glass fibre composite. It can be noted from the literature, that since 2015, the
focus of research has been largely on replacing majority of automobile components by
natural fibre products especially for energy absorption applications [20-31].. Most of
these studies pertain to quasi-static loading on circular or square sectioned tubular
components with different triggering mechanisms
The Rationale and Relevance of the Project
The rationale behind the choice of the project is that the manufacturing sector is
mostly focussed either on construction materials or on automobile parts. Weight savings
and crashworthiness are the two important considerations for the choice of materials.
Further, global regulation on development of green technologies using sustainable

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sources of materials has prompted to take up the project on developing Nacha/epoxy
composite material for automotive components and importantly for the bumper beam by
using the abundant source of fibres available in the forest areas of Ethiopia.
The studies involved in this project will be very relevant in the national and
international context of developing green technology of materials using sustainable
biomass, testing and modelling. The experience gained through this project can be
extended for design and development of several other load bearing components, like the
Callipers and artificial legs for the handicapped persons and impellers and casings, etc.,
for certain rotating machinery, etc.
Recent and relevant publications on the topic of proposed Research Project.

1. U.S. Department of Transportation Final Report: Crash Safety Assurance Strategies for
Future Plastic and Composite Intensive Vehicles (PCIVS), Volpe National
Transportation Systems Center, Research and Innovative Technology Administration,
dot-VNTSC-NHTSA-10-01, June 2010.

2. Caruthers, J.J., Kettle, A.P, and Robinson, A.M., “Energy Absorption Capability and
Crashworthiness of Composite Material Structures: A Review,” Applied Mechanics
Review, Vol. 51, No. 10, pp 635-649, 1998.

3. George C. Jacob, John F. Fellers, Srdan Simunovic, J. Michael Starbuck, Energy

Absorption in Polymer Composite Materials for Automotive Crashworthiness, Journal of
Composite Materials, Volume: 36 issue: 7, page(s): 813-850
https://doi.org/10.1177/0021998302036007164, (2002).

4. Jacob, G.C., Fellers, J.F., Simunovic, S., and Starbuck, J.M., “Energy Absorption in
Polymer Composites for Automotive Crashworthiness,” Journal of Composite
Materials,Vol. 36, No. 7, pp 813-850, 2002.

5. Jacob, G.C., Fellers, J.F., Starbuck, J.M., and Simunovic, S., “Crashworthiness of
Automotive Composite Material Systems,” Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol. 92,
No. 5, pp 3218-3225, 2004.

6. Wang, Z., Sun, X., Lang, S., Lu L., and Li, J., A Research on the Application of
Aluminum Alloy Front Bumper Beam. Automotive Engineering, 37(3):366–369, 2015.

7. Zhou, H. Y., Attard, T. L., Dhiradhamvit, K., Wang, Y. L., and Erdman, D.
Crashworthiness characteristics of a carbon fiber reinforced dual-phase epoxy–polyurea
hybrid matrix composite. Compos. B 71, 17–27. doi:10.1016/j. compositesb.2014.10.053,
2015.

8. Wang, T. and Li, Y., “Design and Analysis Of Automotive Carbon Fiber Composite
Bumper Beam Based on Finite Element Analysis” Advances in Mechanical Engineering,
7(6):1–12, 2015.

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9. Cheon, S. S., Choi, J. H., and Lee, D. G., “Development of the Composite Bumper Beam
for Passenger Cars” Composite Structures. 32(1–4):491–499, 1995.

10. Hosseinzadeh, R., Shokrieh, M. M., and Lessard, L. B., “Parametric Study of Automotive
Composite Bumper Beams Subjected to Low-Velocity Impacts” Composite Structures,
68(4):419–427, 2005.

11. Davoodi, M. M., Sapuan, S. M., Aidy, A., Abu Osman, N. A., Oshkour, A. A., and Wan
Abas, W. A. B., “Development process of new bumper beam for passenger car: A
review” Mater. Des., vol. 40, pp. 304–313, 2012.

12. S.A. Oshkovr, R.A. Eshkoor, S.T. Taher, A.K. Ariffin, C.H. Azhari, Crashworthiness
characteristics investigation of silk/epoxy composite square tubes, Composite Structures,
94 pp.2337–2342, 2012.

13. Davoodi, M. M., Sapuan, S. M., Aidy, A., “Effect of the Strengthened Ribs in Hybrid
Toughened Kenaf/ Glass Epoxy Composite Bumper Beam” Life Science Journal.
9(1):285-289, 2012.

14. Tarlochan, F., and Ramesh, S.. Composite sandwich structures with nested inserts for
energy absorption application. Compos. Struct. 94, 904–916.
doi:10.1016/j.compstruct.2011.10.010, 2012.

15. Hambali, A., Rabiatul, A., Rahim, A., and Taufik, “Design Optimization of Automotive
Bumper Beam Through Energy Absorption Analysis” International Journal Engineering
of Science, 3(1):34–39, 2012,.

16. Libo Yan, Nawawi Chouw, Crashworthiness characteristics of flax fibre reinforced epoxy
tubes for energy absorption application, Materials and Design, vol.51, pp. 629–640,
2013.

17. Libo Yan, Design and characterization of natural flax fibre reinforced polymer tube
encased coir fibre reinforced concrete composite structure, Doctoral Thesis, Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the University of Auckland, New Zealand,
2014.

18. Tuan Mohd Hafeez Bin Tuan Ibrahim, A Study of Crashworthiness Characteristic of
Woven Kenaf Fabric Reinforced Composites Tube, Master’s Thesis, Faculty of
Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 2014.

19. Cyril Priem, Ramzi Othman, Patrick Rozycki, Damien Guillon, Experimental
investigation of the crash energy absorption of 2.5D-braided thermoplastic composite
tubes, Composite Structures, Elsevier, 116, pp.814-826, 2014.

20. Wang, Z., Sun, X., Lang, S., Lu L., and Li, J., A Research on the Application of
Aluminum Alloy Front Bumper Beam. Automotive Engineering, 37(3):366–369, 2015.

21. Zhou, H. Y., Attard, T. L., Dhiradhamvit, K., Wang, Y. L., and Erdman, D.
Crashworthiness characteristics of a carbon fiber reinforced dual-phase epoxy–polyurea
hybrid matrix composite. Compos. B 71, 17–27. doi:10.1016/j. compositesb.2014.10.053,
2015.

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22. Wang, T. and Li, Y., “Design and Analysis Of Automotive Carbon Fiber Composite
Bumper Beam Based on Finite Element Analysis” Advances in Mechanical Engineering,
7(6):1–12, 2015.

23. Mohamad Rusydi Zainal Abidin, Saifulnizan Jamian, Short Review: Crashworthiness
Characteristic of Natural Fiber Composite, International Journal of Management and
Applied Science, Issn: 2394-7926, Volume-1, Issue-3, 2015.

24. Suhad D. Salman, Mohaiman J. Sharba, Z. Leman, M. T. H. Sultan,M. R. Ishak, and F.

Cardona, Physical, Mechanical, and Morphological Properties of Woven Kenaf/Polymer
Composites Produced Using a Vacuum Infusion Technique, International Journal of
Polymer Science, volume 2015, Article ID 894565, 10 pages, 2015.

25. M. F. M. Alkbir, S. M. Sapuan, A. A. Nuraini, M. R. Ishak, The Effect of Fiber Content

on the Crashworthiness Parameters of Natural Kenaf Fiber-Reinforced Hexagonal
Composite Tubes, Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics, Volume 11, Issue 1, pp.75-
86. http://www.jeffjournal.org, 2016.

26. M.R. Nurul Fazita, Krishnan Jayaraman, Debes Bhattacharyya, M.K. Mohamad Haafiz,
Chaturbhuj K. Saurabh, M. Hazwan Hussin and Abdul Khalil H.P.S., Green Composites
Made of Bamboo Fabric and Poly (Lactic) Acid for Packaging Applications—A Review,
Materials, vol.9, 435; doi:10.3390/ma9060435, 2016.

27. Wang, L., Fan, X. M., Chen, H., and Liu, W. Q.. Axial crush behavior and energy
absorption capability of foam-filled GFRP tubes under elevated and high temperature.
Compos. Struct. 149, 339–350. doi:10.1016/j.compstruct. 2016.04.028, 2016.

28. Alkbir, M.F.M., Sapuan, S.M., Nuraini, A.A., Ishak, M.R., Fiber properties and
crashworthiness parameters of natural fiber-reinforced composite structure: A literature
review, Composite Structures,
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2016.01.098, 2016.

29. Muhammad Nasiruddin S., Hambali A., Rosidah J. and Widodo W.S. and Ahmad M.N,
A Review of Energy Absorption of Automotive Bumper Beam, International Journal of
Applied Engineering Research, ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 12, Number 2 pp. 238-245,
2017.

30. Libo Yan, Bo Wang and Bohumil Kasal, Can Plant-Based natural Flax replace Basalt and
e-glass for Fiber-reinforced Polymer Tubular energy absorbers? a comparative study on
Quasi-static axial crushing, Frontiers in Materials, www.frontiersin.org, Volume 4,
Article 42, doi: 10.3389/fmats.2017.00042, 2017.

31. Noorhaslinda Abdullah, Al Emran Ismail Axial quasi-static crushing behaviour of

cylindrical woven kenaf fiber reinforced composites, Colloquium of Advanced
Mechanics (CAMS2016) IOP Publishing IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and
Engineering 165, 012004 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/165/1/012004, 2017.

32. Mozafari, H., Lin, S. M., Tsui, C. P., and Gu, L. X., Controllable energy absorption of
double sided corrugated tubes under axial crushing. Compos. B 134, 9–17.
doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.2017.09.042, 2018.

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 33. Rubentheran Sivagurunathan, Saijod Lau Tze Way, Linkesvaran Sivagurunathan and
Mohd Yuhazri Yaakob, Effects of triggering mechanisms on the crashworthiness
characteristics of square woven jute/epoxy composite tubes, Journal of Reinforced
Plastics and Composites, vol. 37(12) 824–840, 2018.

34. Elías López-Alba, Sebastian Schmeer and Francisco Díaz, Energy Absorption Capacity
in Natural Fiber Reinforcement Composites Structures, Materials, 11, 418;
doi:10.3390/ma11030418, 2018.

4. Objective of the project

The objective should show what the project would like to contribute. It is clear that the objectives are
changes that we would like to see happening at the end of the project life. Therefore, very clear general
and/or specific objectives that should follow the principle of SMART (i.e Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Realistic and Time bound) would be put in place in this part.

4.1. Describe the reasons to present this proposal and the initial hypothesis which
supports its objectives (maximum 20 lines)

The global stipulations to develop components and equipment using sustainable

materials have prompted the use of natural fibres from plant sources. This will not only
utilize the forest produce for making materials and components but also develop self-
sufficiency and self reliance of the nation.
The choice of the proposal is in line with the pressing needs of the society to
reduce the weight of the automobile for fuel savings and at the same time without
sacrificing the safety requirements of the passengers. This will be achieved by
substituting the metal parts by green composites made of plant fibres established to
ensure safety requirements. The task of the project is to establish these parameters.
To ensure safety and reliability of the components made for automobile
applications, their crashworthiness must be established. Such studies will ensure the
suitability of those materials for crash applications by testing them under crash
conditions. Now the bumper beam which is the most critical of the automobile
components is chosen for the proposed project to establish its crashworthiness
characteristics.
The technology to be developed can be extended not only for fabricating other
load bearing parts such as beams of the doors and rear bumper but also several load
bearing devices like callipers for physically handicapped persons and impellers and
casings for turbo-machinery, etc.

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 The know-how and skills evolved through this project can be transferred to the
manufacturing establishments that are already producing glass fibre products to extend to
natural fibre products and further expand the product range to sports and other domestic
goods. This will ensure self sufficiency and self reliance for the material needs of the
society utilizing the sustainable plant resources.
4.2. Indicate the background and previous results of your research work or
other related works that support the initial hypothesis

The Co-Investigator-I did his Ph.D. in 2000 from IIT Bombay on “Analysis of
Composite Laminates with Stress Concentrations”. He has gained good experience in
the development of natural fibre composite laminates and products through guidance of
Doctoral and Masters Theses since 2000.
He has supervised one Doctoral Thesis on “Development and Characterization
of various Natural Fibre Composites for Mechanical, Thermal, Water Absorption
and Dielectric Properties”, for which the Ph.D. was awarded in 2012. Three Master’s
Theses were guided, one of which at Bahir Dar Institute of Technology on “Failure
Strength of Bolted Joints of Nacha ond Kusha Fibre Polyester Composites. Products,
such as helmet, corrugated roof sheets, and domestic tray, etc. were fabricated.
Several research articles on this subject were published as listed in Section 8,
Background of the Researcher.

4.3. Describe briefly the objectives of the project (the target to achieve).

To cope with the future challenges on scarcity of fossil fuel, efforts are being made
to design light weight structures for the automobile without sacrificing the safety of the
occupants. It is necessary to establish the crashworthiness properties major load bearing
parts in different of modes of crash. It is the bumper which is prone to absorb majority of
energy during a frontal collision. Review of literature has guided on the choice of
Nacha/epoxy composite for fabrication of the bumper.
The objective of the project is to develop methods of fabrication of natural fibre
components for automobile and test them to assess the parameters of crashworthiness and
validate the results on the CAD model by simulating real time loading conditions. To
achieve this objective, the proposed project will help as an important case study.

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 The expertise and confidence gained in this project shall be extended to produce
medical prosthetics, sports goods, machinery components and many other household
products. It shall develop a trend in the public for preferring natural fibre composite
products for their better strength, durability and biodegradability. Considerable
employment shall be generated for the rural public as well as technically skilled persons
through their involvement in different stages of component development. It shall
contribute for the self reliance by industrial production using agricultural waste and forest
produce which is abundant in Ethiopia.

Methodology or Research Plan

_______________________________________________________________________________
The methodology to tackle the formulated statement of problem should be explicitly described
irrespective of the research approach (Experimental, modelling, field survey, etc...). Moreover, the
tasks should identified and explicitly assigned for person in charge of this particular task

 Nacha fibres will be extracted from the stems of the plants and processed and
treated by NaOH to improve the adhesion properties of the fibres with the resin.
 Unidirectional mats will be woven using the weaving set up.
 A sample bumper will be selected through survey through damaged parts in the
market for making the moulds required to fabricate the Nacha/epoxy fiber
composite bumper.
 The epoxy resin and additives will be procured from the market and the
Nacha/epoxy composite bumper beam will be fabricated by hand moulding
process.
 The test facility will be designed and fabricated to simulate the frontal impact on
the bumper beam.
 The energy absorption parameters such as Specific Energy Absorption (SEA),
Energy Absorbed (EA), Crash Loading efficiency (CLE) and Mean Crash Force
(MCF) will be calculated from the load-displacement data of testing of the
bumper beam to establish its crashworthiness characteristics.
 The results will be analyzed to obtain inferences on the influencing parameters for
the results.
 Conclusions the will be drawn about the reliability of the fabricated bumper for
real time applications and limitations if any, will be stated.

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  Publication of the results in international journals and report will be made.

Task Description:
Task A: Procurement of fibres and treatment.
Responsible Person: Principal coordinator
Duration: 2 months
Aim of the Task: To cut stems from the plant and soak them in stationary water for 15
days for the green stuff to decompose and wash thoroughly in running water to clean the
fibres free from scale, etc.
Chemical modification of fibres by NaOH treatment: Soaking the fibres in 2% NaOH
solution for 24 hrs at room temperature and washed thoroughly in distilled water.
Facilities Needed: Room space, running water facility.

Task B: Preparation of woven fibre mat

Responsible Person: Co-Investigator I
Duration: 1 month
Aim of the Task: The mat will be woven on the weaving set up using the treated fibres
Facilities Needed: Weaving set up.

Task C: Procurement of chemicals and tools: epoxy resin, additives, and PVA, wax
polish, glass plates, brushes, plastic dishes, etc.
Responsible Person: Principal Investigator
Duration: 1 month
Aim of the Task: To locate the vendor for supply of chemicals. Procuring moulding
tools-glass plates, rollers, brushes, wax polish, etc.
Facilities needed: nil.

Task D: Moulding of Bumper beam

Responsible Person: Co-Investigator I

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Duration: 3 months
Aim of the Task: Preparation of wooden mould for moulding the bumper beam and
casting using Nacha/epoxy composite material.
Facilities Needed: Wooden mould for bumper beam, fibre mats and chemicals such as
epoxy resin, hardener, PVA, wax polish, plastic dishes, brushes, etc., a room with tables,
tap water facility for fabrication and washing, etc.
Task E: Development of testing facility.
Responsible Person: Co-Investigator I
Duration: 3 months
Aim of the Task: To fabricate test the facility for simulating frontal impact on the beam.
Facilities needed: steel channels, welding facility, electric motor, etc.

Task F: Testing and Analysis

Responsible Person: Co-investigator-I
Duration: 1 month
Aim of the Task: To obtain various parameters like Specific Energy Absorption (SEA),
Energy absorption, mean force and crushing load efficiency (CLE).
Facilities Needed: Testing and measurement facilities to be developed for
crashworthiness testing of Fiber Composite bumper.

Task G: Validation by Finite Element Analysis

Responsible Person: Co-Investigator I
Duration: 3 months
Aim of the Task: CAD modelling of the bumper beam and conducting simulation
studies using software LS Dyna to validate the test results.
Facilities Needed: Modelling CATIA and Simulation software LS Dyna.

Task H: Publication of results.

Responsible Person: Co-Investigator I
Duration: 2 months
Aim of the Task: To plot the graphs and study the results critically and draw inferences
and conclusion for the results obtained. Preparation of manuscript for journal publication.
Facilities needed: nil

Task I: Preparation of Report

Responsible Person: Co-Investigator I
Duration: 2 months
Aim of the Task: To submit the Report to the Research and Graduate Studies Cell.
Facilities Needed: Paper and stationery.

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 5. Chronogram (time schedule with detail tasks and work for assignation)

The ways or methods and tools of monitoring and evaluation that we are likely to apply in our
project should clearly show the schedule and approaches in our proposal so that one can easily
follow up our progress. The Gant chart should include deliverable tasks, milestone of the project.

Tasks or Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
Activities 2018 2018 2019 2019 2020
A. Procurement of
Fibers, treatment
B. B. Preparation of
mats
C.
Procurement of
chemicals, tools
D.Moulding of
Bumper
E. Development of
Testing facility
F. Testing and
analysis
G. Validation by
Finite Element
Analysis
H. Publication of
Results
I. Preparation of

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Report

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6. Benefits derived from the project, diffusion and exploitation of results
(maximum 1 page)
In this part the following items must be described:
Scientific and technical contributions expected from the project, potential application or transfer of
the expected results in the short, medium or large term, benefits derived from the increase of
knowledge and technology.
Diffusion plan and, if appropriate, exploitation plan of the results.

Short Term gains-Diffusion through Faculty Development Programmes

 Faculty Development Programme will be conducted for the benefit of faculty of
local and other universities around Bahir Dar to present a glimpse of the
fabrication techniques using natural fibres with epoxy and other resins with a case
study of the bumper beam of an automobile. The programme shall also include
the testing procedure to assess the mechanical and crashworthiness properties. It
shall also include the modelling and simulation procedure involved.
 One M.Sc. Thesis can be suggested on this topic.

Medium Term gains-Establish Industry-Institution Interaction

 Industry personnel also will be invited for the Faculty Development Program
programme to enlighten them with the details of fabrication of natural composite
products.
 MoU can be taken with the industries to present their challenges for possible
solutions and undertake an agreement to extend their fabrication facilities for the
Institute Research needs so that the results of research can be shared to them for
implementation.

Long Term Gains-Generation of Sponsored Research Projects and setting up

fabrication units
 Once the industry gains confidence on the capabilities of the personnel based on
the results produced, they will come forward to sponsor projects for mutual
benefit.
 The Technology can be transferred to set up small scale industries in rural areas.
The products developed will provide effective materials to substitute the products
presently available in the market.

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Long Term gains-Publications and Patents:
 Research articles can be published in several International Journals like, Journal
of Composite Materials (Sage Publications, U.K.) Polymer Composites, Applied
Polymer Science, Composites Part A-Applied Science and Manufacturing, etc.
 One Patent can be obtained on the technology of developing the automobile
bumper using Nacha/epoxy composite, its testing, modelling and simulation.
7. Background of the researcher
Indicate the previous activities and achievements of the researcher in the field of
related projects:
If the project is related to other previously granted, you must indicate the objectives and the
results achieved in the previous project.
If the project approaches a new research field, the background and previous contributions of the
research group (departments) in this field must be indicated in order to justify the capacity of the
group (department) to carry out the project.

***The Profiles of the Principal Investigator and the Co-Investigators are attached
herewith to provide their academic and research background.

The Co-Investigator-I has the following experience in the proposed research area.
 The Co-Investigator-I did his Ph.D. in 2000 from I.I.T. Bombay, India on
Analysis of Composite Laminates with Stress Concentrations.
 Guided one Ph.D. Thesis in 2012 on: “Development and Characterization of
Woven Natural Fibre Composites-A Comparative Study”.
The thesis involves development and testing of woven natural fibre composites
for various mechanical, thermal, electrical and water absorption properties.
 Guided Three Masters Theses on the fabrication of natural fibre composites and
products. Guided one M.Sc., thesis at B.I.T. Bahir Dar on: “Failure strength of
bolted joints made of Nacha and Kusha fibre polyester composites” during the
recent semester.

3. (a) Papers Published in International Journals-

Provided in the Profile of Co-Investigator-I

(b) Papers Presented in International Conferences

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 1. D.K.N.Rao, Raja Narender Reddy K, Ramu T, Development and characterization of
Kenaf polyester composites, Proceedings of International conference on Emerging
Technologies for Sustainable Environment, organized by Aligarh Muslim University in
association with La Sierra University, USA and Asia Pacific University, Thailand,
Aligarh:596-601, Oct.29-30, 2010.

2. Raja Narender Reddy K, K. Kishore Kumar, D.K.N. Rao, Dynamic Mechanical behavior
of woven gogu fiber Composites, Proceedings of 1st International Conference on Current
Trends In Technology NUiCONE 2010, organized by Nirma University, Ahmedabad,
India, Dec 9 -11,2010.

3. Raja Narender Reddy K, D.Anji Reddy, D.K Nageswara Rao, T.O.Vergheese, Shireesha
devi, Kamal K. Kar, Physico-Mechanical and Thermal properties of Thespesia lampas
Natural fiber/Polyester Composites, Proceedings of International Conference on
Advancements in Polymeric Materials, APM 2011, organized by Advanced research
School for Technology & Product Simulation, CIPET, Chennai, Sponsored by
Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Govt. of India, March,25-27, 2011; No
121,PP 146.

4. Raja Narender Reddy K., D.Anji Reddy, D.K Nageswara Rao, T.O.Vergheese, V.Kiran
Kumar, Kamal K. Kar, Mechanical, Morphological, Thermal and Water Absorption
Properties of Abelmoschus Esculentus/Polyester Composites, Proceedings of
International Conference on Advancements in Polymeric Materials, APM 2011,
organized by Advanced research School for Technology & Product Simulation, CIPET,
Chennai, Sponsored by Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Govt. of India,
March,25-27, 2011; No 181,PP 220.

(c) Papers Presented in National Conferences

1.DKNageswara Rao, KRaja Narender Reddy, Muralidhar Avvari, Dynamic Mechanical

Analysis of Certain Natural Fiber Composites, submitted to ICAST-2018, to be held on
5th-6th Oct. 2018, at Bahir Dar Institute of Technology.

2.DKNageswara Rao, Muralidhar Avvari, KRaja Narender Reddy, Kindu Melese, Effect of
hole shape on stress concentration in graphite/epoxy laminates under uniaxial loading,
submitted to ICAST-2018, to be held on 5th-6th Oct. 2018, at Bahir Dar Institute of
Technology.

3.Raja Narender Reddy K, Ramu T. and D.K.N.Rao, Green Composites–A Perspective,

Proceedings of the 23rd Indian Engineering Congress, Warangal:114-118, Dec.12-14,
2008.

4.Mohd Hasham Ali, Chaitanya M, Raja Narender Reddy K. and D.K.N.Rao, Why Natural
Fiber Composites Instead of Synthetic? Presented at National Conference on Recent
Trends in Mechanical Engineering, organized by Department of Mechanical Engineering
in association with ISHRAE at Datta Meghe College of Engineering, Mumbai, India,
held during 28-29th August, 2010.

5.Kavitha G, Raja Narender Reddy K. and D.K.N.Rao, Evaluation of Glass Transition

Temperature of Agave Americana Fiber Reinforced Composites, presented at National
Conference on Recent Trends in Mechanical Engineering, organized by Department of

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 Mechanical Engineering in association with ISHRAE at Datta Meghe College of
Engineering, Mumbai, India, held during 28-29th August, 2010.

6.Kishore Kumar K, Raja Narender Reddy K, D.K.N.Rao, Evaluation of Dynamic

Mechanical properties of Treated and Untreated Kenaf Fiber Composites presented at
National Conference on Recent Trends in Mechanical Engineering, organized by
Department of Mechanical Engineering in association with ISHRAE at Datta Meghe
College of Engineering, Mumbai, India, held during 28-29th August, 2010.

7.Chaitanya M, Raja Narender Reddy K, D.K.N.Rao, Flexure, Tensile and Water

Absorption Properties of Pandanus Tectorius Fiber Composites, presented at National
Conference on Recent Trends in Mechanical Engineering, organized by Department of
Mechanical Engineering in association with ISHRAE at Datta Meghe College of
Engineering, Mumbai, India, held during 28-29th August, 2010.

8.Yashaswy, V, Raja Narender Reddy, K., Nitin V., D.K.Nageswara Rao, Evaluation of
Dielectric Properties of Thespesa lampas Fiber Reinforced Compopsites, 48 th National
Metallurgist Day and 64th Annual Technical Meeting, organized by IIM Bangalore
Chapter in association with IISc, 14-16 Nov. 2010.

9.Raja Narender Reddy K, Kishore Kumar K., D.K.N.Rao, Dynamic Mechanical Behavior
of woven Abelmoschus Esculentus Fiber Composites, Proceedings of National
Conference on advances in Mechanical Engineering ( AIM-2010 ), organized by
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vasavi College of Engineering, Hyderabad:92-
99,Nov.18-19,2010.

10. Raja Narender Reddy K, M.Chaitanya, T.Ramu, D.K.N.Rao, Characterization of Okra

Fiber Reinforced Polyester Composites, Proceedings of IV National Conference in
Trends in Mechanical Engineering (TIME’10), organized by Department of Mechanical
Engineering, Kakatiya Institute of Technology & Science, Warangal: 6-12,Nov.18-
19,2010.

11. Raja Narender Reddy K, Ch. Karunakar, K.Kishore Kumar, D.K.N.Rao, Dynamic
Mechanical behavior of woven kenaf/polyester Composites, Proceedings of National
Conference in Trends in Mechanical Engineering (TIME’10), organized by Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Kakatiya Institute of Technology & Science, Warangal: 45-
48,Nov.18-19,2010.

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 9. Plan for Financial Expenditure
Proposed Financial Requirement
S.N Item Unit Qty Unit Cost Total Cost Remark
(ETB)
1 Personal expenditure
 Per dime: visit 5 2000 10,000
kg 5 2000 10,000
 Field substance-
procurement of fibres
2 Treatment of fibres by NaOH kg 1 500 500
3 Procurement of sample
piece 1 500 500
bumper from scrap
4 Preparation of wooden mould piece 2 2500 5000
5 Fabrication of Nacha/epoxy
piece 2 5000 10,000
fibre composite bumper
3 Equipments for Testing
Weighing machine-digital (l.s-1mg)
 Quasi-static loading using
Computerized Universal 1 5,000 5,000
Testing Machine
 Frontal Dynamic Impact 1 10,000 10,000
loading setup to be
fabricated

4 Consumable:
Chemicals & reagents
 Epoxy resin kg 40 500 20,000
 Hardener kg 10 500 5,000
Others
 Wax polish kg 1 300 300
 Acetone lt 5 200 10, 000
 Soaps no 20 20 4,000
 Paint Brushes no. 50 20
1,000
 Bath tubs no. 4 30
 Mixing Dishes no. 5 100 500
 Scissors no 2 100 300

Material handling charges 3000

Transportation 3000
Total amount 108,100

12. The Undersigned Agrees to Accept Responsibility for the Scientific and Technical
Conduct of this Research Project. The Provision of the Required Progress of Report

20
(both in public defence and written report) and the Presentation of the Final Report
as Required.

Name of the investigators (s) Signature (s) Date

Melak Misganew ____________ _____________

Dr.D.K.Nageswara Rao ____________ _____________

Beresaw Belestie ____________ _____________

Chairholder Signature Date

Ephreme Zeleke ____________ _____________

Call for Grand Research Proposals

21
The School of Research and Graduate Studies would like to grant research fund worth up to
2,000,000.00 ETB for original research proposals on the following specific thematic areas.

Agro Mechanization for Productivity

 Post harvest technology
 Agricultural Mechanization
 Irrigation and Agricultural inputs
 Socio-Economics
 Food security and nutrition
 IT supported supply-chain and marketing

Reliable, Resilient and Sustainable Water Resource Management -Lake Tana

watershed
 Climate Change
 Impacts Of Waste Management on the Water Resource And Risk Analysis
 Resilient And Sustainable Natural Resource Management
 Sustainability of Water Infrastructures
 Water Quality Management And Sensor Development

Green technology
 Sustainable utilization of biomass
 Recycle , Reuse and Valorization
 Low- cost construction materials
 Reliable and sustainable close- loop system

Requirements:
 The research should be original work
 The proposal shall involve at least three academic units of BDU.
 The research should lead by one PI who has PhD and research experience and at least four
Co-PIs for each work package.
 The main objective of the proposal should be clearly defined and cascaded into sub-
objectives and activities in line with respective Co-PIs.
 The research shall have a maximum of 2 years duration.
 The research should involve at least one PhD students and 2 MSc students.
 All specific objectives should have deliverable products and/or services with detail budget
and time plan.
 All the PI and CO-PIs should successfully submit previously BiT-funded research projects, in
case they had been granted before.
 Should be signed and endorsed by all PI and CO-PIs.
 One applicant should submit only one proposal (as a PI and/or as a Co-PI)
 The maximum budget limit of a research proposal is two millions Birr (2,000,000.00 ETB)

Due Date for Submission

Research proposal must be submitted to the School of Research and Graduate Studies in one hard
copy and soft copy till July 30/2010 EC.

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