MID TERM PROJECT REPORT

On

EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF

BASALT FIBER & INDIAN GOOSEBERRY SEED COAT POWDER
REINFORCED EPOXY COMPOSITES

Student Name Reg. No. Email ID

Mrinalini Menon 190909528 mrinalini.menon@learner.manipal.edu
Mohammed Safwan 190909564 mohammed.safwan3@learner.manipal.edu
Sheldon Fernandes 190909576 sheldon.fernandes@learner.manipal.edu

Under the guidance of

Dr. Suhas Yeshwant Nayak

Assistant Professor (Senior Scale)

Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

Manipal Institute of Technology

suhas.nayak@learner.manipal.edu

Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Manipal

Institute of Technology, Manipal.

April / 2023
 CONTENTS
Sl. No. Topic Page No.

1 Introduction 1

2 Importance of proposed work 4

3 Literature review 5

4 Objectives 8

5 Methodology 9

6 Results 13

7 Conclusions 16

8 Future work 17

9 References 18
 INTRODUCTION
Composite materials are those types of materials that are formed by combining two or more
materials having different chemical and physical properties. The process of creating a composite
material does not involve any chemical reaction. However, the material thus formed will possess
properties that are quite different from its elements. Similarly, bulletproof jackets, aircraft panels,
bridges, etc. are manufactured after carrying out intense research work on the mechanical and
chemical characteristics of the materials being used.

Natural and synthetic fibers are the two types of fibers. While natural fibres have lower mechanical
properties when compared with synthetic fibres [1], it possesses many advantages. For example,
it possesses higher strength and durability[2]. By carrying out pre-treatment and fibre orientation,
its mechanical properties can be greatly increased[1], [3]. Moreover, since the raw materials are
freely available in nature, it is cost-effective to manufacture. By possessing better flexural and
compressive properties, it is better suited to prevent cracking[3], [4].On the environmental front,
it is non-toxic and biodegradable. Thus, it does not increase the Carbon footprint or create
recycling problems.

Fibre made from basalt rocks is one type of natural fibre that was discovered during World War
II. It is used extensively in defence, industrial, automobile, and aircraft fabrications due to its high
mechanical properties [5], [6]. The fibre is manufactured by melting basalt rocks at high
temperatures of around 1400℃ and extruding it into thin fibers of about 10-20μ-m diameter [7],
[8].It possesses a high modulus of elasticity, failure resistance, temperature resistance, high
strength, high chemical stability, better strain to failure and on the environmental front, it is non-
toxic and eco-friendly[9]–[12]. It is the preferred reinforcement material in composite fabrication
due to its lightweight and high load-bearing properties. Basalt rocks contain some trace elements,
and their chemical composition varies from region to region [8], [13]. The main disadvantage of
basalt is its reduced flow properties. Although we have many organic and inorganic fibers available
in the market, many of them lack in their mechanical properties such as structural strength or
durability and are also expensive when used for moderate loadings[14]. The tensile and
compressive properties of basalt are far better than the fibers of E-glass & are also cheaper[15]–
[17]. Basalt fibers also possess excellent elastic modulus. Hence, basalt fibers are often preferred
as a reinforcement material for composite fabrication based on their numerous advantages.

1
Moreover, the fabrication of basalt-epoxy composites is beneficial as it can also offer lightweight
and strong load-bearing properties useful in defense & automobile industries.

Fillers are often used to enhance the properties of the composite. Waseem Baig et al. [18] in their
study involving “tamarind shell fiber reinforced epoxy composite laminates”, reported
improvement in the tensile test for 70% tamarind shell fiber reinforced epoxy composite laminates.
It was also evident that varying the proportion of the filler can actually affect the mechanical
properties, in the same paper 50% tamarind shell fiber reinforced epoxy composites showed the
maximum flexural strength over 70% shell fiber. Similarly, T. Ganapathy et al. [19] in their study
reported advancement in mechanical properties such as tensile and flexural strength up to a certain
proportion by using graphene as the filler on banyan aerial root fibers reinforced epoxy composites.
Although synthetic fillers have proven to be useful to act as a filler, many researchers are resorting
to using natural fillers such as eggshells, coconut shells, date seeds, etc. as they are eco-friendly
and biodegradable. Moreover, they have shown remarkable results in mechanical properties too.
The filler we have chosen here is amla seed powder. Amla is a common fruit found widely
across India. It is appreciably available in the market between October and February. In fact, it is
also considered a powerhouse of nutrients because of which it is being widely used for medicinal
purposes. It has been observed that after the extraction of amla fruit for various purposes, about
25% of the juice is lost to the pomace which also includes the amla seed powder. The amla seed
powder is considered a good source of fiber, moisture, and cellulose content[20]. There are
different ways to disperse filler particles such as ultrasonic mixing, shear mixing, direct mixing,
and magnetic stirring. After grinding the amla seed powder in the ball mill we made sure to
uniformly disperse the powders to avoid it from being accumulated. Suhas Yeshwant Nayak et al.
[21] in their study involving “Coconut Shell Powder Modified Epoxy/3D E-Glass Composite”
adopted the ultrasonic and magnetic stirring method in the epoxy resin to uniformly disperse the
fine coconut shell particles and have also indicated a significant improvement in the mechanical
properties of the composites. In our project too, the uniform dispersion of the amla seed powder in
the epoxy resin is brought about by the sonication technique followed by magnetic stirring.
Further, the composites were fabricated using the hand layup method followed by compression
molding.

2
This paper discusses the effect of epoxy/basalt fiber composites filled with amla seed coating as
the filler material and investigates the effect on the mechanical properties of the composites. The
epoxy resin is modified by the addition of amla seed powder in different weight percentages,
where sample ASCP0 is for 0% filler material only consisting of basalt and epoxy, ASCP2 is for
2% filler, ASCP4 is for 4% filler and ASCP6 is for 6% filler. To understand the effect of the resin
modification on the mechanical properties , the flexural, tensile, Inter-laminar shear strength
(ILSS), and impact strength were evaluated.

Serial Number Composite Name Proportions of ASCP used

1 ASCP0 0%

2 ASCP2 2%

3 ASCP4 4%

4 ASCP6 6%

3
 IMPORTANCE OF PROPOSED WORK

Every industry is looking for a better and more advanced material that is of less cost while having
enhanced properties like corrosion resistance, higher strength-to-weight ratio, greater impact
strength, more flexibility, and so on. In this research work, we are working to develop a new
composite material consisting of basalt fiber and Indian gooseberry seed coating as the filler along
with epoxy, we plan on varying the proportion of the filler material accordingly to achieve the
desired characteristics. We have chosen basalt fiber because it is known for its high strength and
durability along with other properties such as corrosion resistance, thermal stability, and resistance
to salt attack. The filler material (Indian gooseberry seed coating) on the other hand is hard,
therefore we expect this combination to form a desired composite. The composite we are planning
on developing is to be used in many applications such as bulletproof vests, automobile
applications, buildings, bridges, etc.

4
 LITERATURE REVIEW

 In the paper “A short review on basalt fiber reinforced polymer composites” by Vivek
Dhand, the mechanical characteristics of basalt as a fiber has been elaborated. In his paper,
he has clearly investigated the mechanical properties of basalt fiber such as Tensile
strength, elastic modulus, elongation at break, and density. As per his analysis, the
mechanical properties have been appreciable with a maximum tensile strength of 4.84GPa,
a maximum elastic modulus of 89GPa, and a maximum elongation at a break of 3.15% &
maximum density to be 2.7g/cm3. It is very clear in this paper that basalt possesses high
mechanical properties.

 Waseem Baig et al. in their study involving “tamarind shell fiber reinforced epoxy
composite laminates”, reported improvement in the tensile test for 70% tamarind shell fiber
reinforced epoxy composite laminates. It was also evident that varying the proportion of
the filler can actually affect the mechanical properties, in the same paper 50% tamarind
shell fiber reinforced epoxy composites showed the maximum flexural strength over 70%
shell fiber.

 Similarly, T. Ganapathy et al. in their study reported advancement in mechanical properties

such as tensile and flexural strength up to a certain proportion by using graphene as the
filler on banyan aerial root fibers reinforced epoxy composites.

 Gupta V et.al in their study of isolation and characterization of cellulose nanocrystals from
amla analyzed the amla seed powder as a good source of fiber, moisture, and cellulose
content. It has been observed that after the extraction of amla fruit for various purposes,
about 25% of the juice is lost to the pomace which also includes the amla seed powder.

5
 In the paper “Static and fatigue characterization of new basalt fibre reinforced composites”
by C. Colombo, L. Vergani, M. Burman, the static and fatigue characterization of the
mechanical and thermal properties of the basalt fibre reinforced composites was performed.
Two kinds of matrices were taken into account, vinyl ester and epoxy. Tensile and
compression static tests, delamination tests and fatigue tests were carried out. Basalt-
reinforced epoxy composites evidenced higher mechanical properties with respect to vinyl
ester, both in the tensile and compressive behavior, and the failure mode is more compact
since fibres do not tend to explode. Thermally monitored tests were presented, both static
and stepwise for the basalt–epoxy composite. From the static trend it was possible to detect
the stress level at the end of thermoelasticity, while from stepwise thermal analysis two
techniques, thermal and energetic were considered to monitor variations in the composite
behavior.

 V. Lopresto, C. Leone, I. De Iorio in their study on “Mechanical characterisation of basalt

fibre reinforced plastic”, the principal aim was evaluating the possibility to replace glass
fibres in most of the applications, mechanical tests were carried out on comparable E-glass
and basalt fibre reinforced plastic laminates. The results obtained on the two laminates
were compared showing a high performance of the basalt composite which showed about
35–42% higher Young’s modulus as well as a better compressive strength and flexural
behavior, whereas a higher tensile strength was found for glass material.

 In the paper “Investigation of the effect of surface modifications on the mechanical

properties of basalt fibre reinforced polymer composites” by V. Manikandan, J.T.
Winowlin Jappes, S.M. Suresh Kumar, P. Amuthakkannan, Unsaturated polyester-based
polymer composites were developed by reinforcing basalt fabric into an unsaturated
polyester matrix using the hand layup technique at room temperature. The basalt fibre
reinforced unsaturated polyester composites both with and without acid and alkali
treatments of the fabrics. The objective of this investigation was to study the effect of
surface modifications (NaOH & H2SO4) on mechanical properties, including tensile,

6
 shear, and impact strengths. Overall, the study showed that the reinforcement of basalt fibre
composites created a new material with properties that are generally superior to glass fibre-
reinforced polymer composites, depending on the loading conditions.

 In the paper “Hybridization effect on mechanical properties of basalt/kevlar/epoxy

composite laminates” by R. Velumayil and A. Palanivel, conducted the study on the
mechanical properties of kevlar/epoxy, basalt/epoxy, and basalt/kevlar/epoxy hybrid
composites consisting of seven layers. The six samples of the hybrid composites were
stacked in different orders, naming them S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, and S6. The tensile strength
of the basalt/kevlar/epoxy hybrid composite (S1) was the highest at 190.02 MPa. While
basalt/epoxy composite was 21% higher than that of kevlar/epoxy composite, this is due to
the higher density of basalt fibers when compared to kevlar fibers. The flexural strength
depended on how the layers were stacked, the basalt/epoxy composite (S7) showed the
maximum flexural strength of 110 MPa. Hence states that the bonding of the matrix was
better with basalt fiber. The impact test revealed that the hybrid composite containing
alternatively stacked basalt fibers sandwiching kevlar fibers (S1), absorbed the maximum
impact energy of 8.3J.

7
 OBJECTIVES

1. To determine the optimum filler proportion (Indian gooseberry seed coating) for the
highest mechanical strength for basalt fiber and epoxy-reinforced composites.
2. To determine the chemical characteristics of the filler material.
3. To study the failure mechanisms of the tested samples using the Scanning Electron
Microscope.

8
 METHODOLOGY

The flowchart given below depicts the research methodology employed in the study. In summary,
this consists of seven parts for phase-I. The methodology of each process has been mentioned
below:

1. Drying amla seeds: The seeds were dried to make them dry by getting rid of the moisture
in a hot air oven (fig 1). Drying was done multiple times at a temperature of 70-100℃
over a period of time to obtain the dried seed powder (fig 2).

Fig 1: Hot Air Oven Fig 2: Dried amla seed powder

2. Powdering dried seeds: Grinding of the amla seeds was done in the ball grinder (fig 3)
for 20 minutes in four passes. Followed by, sieving the powdered amla seeds in a 180-
micron & 45-micron sieve (fig 4) to get them finely powdered (fig 5).

Fig 4: Sieving the Fig 5: Finely powdered amla seed

amla seed powder. powder
Fig 3: Ball grinder
9
3. Basalt treatment: The basalt fiber sheet of 380GSM was first cut into sheets of
290x210mm². Treatment of the sheets was done with nitric acid, followed by drying
them in a hot air oven at 110℃ for 4 hours (fig 6).

Fig 6: Treatment of Basalt Fiber

4. Fabricating panels: At first, the resin and additives were mixed uniformly using the
magnetic stirring method, after which hardener was added to it to carry out the
fabrication process using the hand-layup method. After the mixture was applied to these
sheets, compression molding was done. This way, panels were fabricated with no filler,
2%, 4% & 6% filler (fig 7 & 8).

Fig 7: Fig 8:
Fabrication Fabrication

10
 5. Preparing specimen as per ASTM/ISO standard: CAD diagram was drawn for each
test as per ASTM standards to carry out abrasive waterjet cutting of the panels (fig 9) for
further carrying out the respective mechanical test on the specimens (fig 10).

Fig 10: Cut out of testing

Fig 9: Abrasive Water-Jet Cutting
samples.

6. Mechanical Testing: The respective specimen samples were tested for Flexural, Impact,
Laminar shear & Tensile strength respectively as shown in fig 11, fig 12, and fig13.

Fig 13: Inter Laminar Shear Strength

Fig 11: Tensile Testing Fig 12: Impact
(ILSS) Testing
Testing

7. Failure Analysis: The SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) analysis will be carried
out on the flexural samples.

11
 Basalt Treatment

Drying Indian
Powdering Fabricating
Phase-I gooseberry
dried seeds Panels
seeds

Preparing
Failure Mechanical specimen as
Analysis Testing per ASTM/ISO
standatd

Fig 14: Methodology flow chart

12
 RESULTS

FLEXURAL TEST

The flexure test performed on samples ASCP0, ASCP2, ASCP4, and ASCP6 shows an
increasing trend till 4% and then decreases, therefore the optimum proportion of Indian
Gooseberry Powder Powder gives the highest flexural strength for the 4% filler (ASCP4).
The flexural modulus increased by about 45% for the 2% ASCP composite when compared to
the no-filler composite. The 4% and the 6% ASCP composite when compared to ASCP0 (no
filler composite), the flexural modulus increased by 42% for both 2% and 6% ASCP composites.
The composite with 2% ASCP (ASCP2) exhibited the highest flexural modulus, measuring
19.53 GPa. It appears that the addition of ASCP has a significant impact on increasing the
flexural modulus of the composite material. The highest modulus was achieved with the addition
of 2% ASCP.

The corresponding values and graphical representations of the results are as follows:

FLEX FLEX
Specimen THICKNESS WIDTH LENGTH
F MAX N MODULUS STRENGTH
identifier
MPa MPa mm mm mm

ASCP0 156.3666667 13766.66667 99.53333333 3.27 13.13333333 56

ASCP2 494.9333333 19933.33333 277.6666667 3.393333333 13.00333333 56

ASCP4 732.8666667 19466.66667 357 3.63 13.05 56

ASCP6 496.7333333 19533.33333 265.6666667 3.47 13.05666667 56

13
−IMPACT TEST

The Impact test performed on samples ASCP0, ASCP2, ASCP4, and ASCP6 show an increasing
trend, and maximum Impact strength is observed for sample ASCP6. There is a transition in the
results of the Impact test from decreasing to an increasing trend. The corresponding values and
graphical representations of the results are as follows:

Specimen Absorbed Energy Impact Strength Thickness Width

identifier W (%) J kJ/m² mm mm
ASCP0 18.96666667 3.591326667 132.7066667 3.233333333 8.173333333
ASCP2 22.5 5.619393333 199.3166667 3.52 8.006666667
ASCP4 20.96666667 5.236266667 191.4933333 3.416666667 8.006666667
ASCP6 24.1 6.024573333 210.27 3.553333333 8.063333333

14
 250
Impact Strength
199.31667 210.27

191.49333
200
Impact Strength (kJ/m²)

132.70667
150

100

50

0
ASCP0 ASCP2 ASCP4 ASCP6
Types of Composites

15
ILSS TEST

The Interlaminar shear strength test performed on samples ASCP0, ASCP2, ASCP4, and ASCP6
shows a decreasing trend. There is a transition in the results of the ILSS test from decreasing to
an increasing trend. Hence, the best sample showing interlaminar shear strength is 2% (ASCP2).
The corresponding values and graphical representations of the results are as follows:

Specimen THICKNESS WIDTH LENGTH SHEAR

F Max N
identifier mm mm mm MPa

ASCP0 1813.72 3.166666667 5.09 16 84.51425928

ASCP2 1287.276667 3.466666667 5.1 16 53.715571
ASCP4 620.1366667 3.303333333 5.113333333 16 27.5151708
ASCP6 1148.283333 3.506666667 5.106666667 16 48.27312498

100
ILSS 48.27

53.72
80
ILSS (MPa)

60

40
27.52

20

0
ASCP2 ASCP4 ASCP6
Types of Composite

16
 CONCLUSION

After analyzing the results obtained from the Flexural test, a linearly increasing and decreasing
trend is observed and the optimum strength is obtained for 4% filler (ASCP4) for the flexural test
which is 258.68% higher than the no filler composite (ASCP0). In the Impact test, it showed a
linearly increasing trend, there was not much difference in the values and the highest impact
strength was obtained for 6% filler (ASCP6) which is 58.45% higher than no filler composite
(ASCP0).
Further analysis is required to find the optimum proportion of the filler material.

17
 FUTURE WORK
 Obtaining tensile test results
 Preparing panel with resin modification
 Mechanical testing of the above panel
 Analysing results and doing failure analysis
 Carrying out gravimetry
 Working on the paper

18
 REFERENCES
[1] Compressive and fracture toughness of natural and synthetic fibre-reinforced polymer
Mustafa Abu Ghalia, Amira Abdelrasoul
[2] Experimental studies on the effect of natural and synthetic fibers on properties of fresh
and hardened mortar Rashmi Nayak J, Bochen J, Gołaszewska MConstruction and Building Materials
(2022) 347
[3] Experimental investigation on the composite effect of steel rebars and macro fibers
on the impact behavior of high performance self-compacting concrete Ding Y, Li D
[4] Natural fiber reinforced high calcium fly ash geopolymer mortar Wongsa A, Kunthawatwong
R
[5] Static and fatigue characterisation of new basalt fibre reinforced composites Colombo C,
Vergani L, Burman MComposite Structures (2012) 94(3) 1165-1174
[6] REINFORCED plastics(2007)
[7] Glass-basalt/epoxy hybrid composites for marine applicationsFiore V, Di Bella G, Valenza
Materials and Design (2011) 32(4) 2091-2099
[8] Variability of mechanical properties of basalt fiber reinforced polymer bars
manufactured by wet-layup method Banibayat P, Patnaik AMaterials and Design (2014) 56 898-906
[9] Glass-basalt/epoxy hybrid composites for marine applications Fiore V, Di Bella G, Valenza A
[10] Mechanical characterisation of basalt fibre reinforced plasticLopresto V, Leone C, De Iorio I
[11] Experimental and numerical modeling of basalt textile reinforced mortar behavior
under uniaxial tensile stress Larrinaga P, Chastre C
[12] Degradation of basalt fibre and glass fibre/epoxy resin composites in seawaterWei B,
Cao H, Song S
[13] A Review on Basalt Fiber Composites and Their Applications in Clean Energy Sector
and Power Grids Liu H, Yu Y
[14] A short review on basalt fiber reinforced polymer composites Dhand V, Mittal G
[15] Basalt woven fiber reinforced vinylester composites: Flexural and electrical
properties Carmisciano S, Rosa I
[16] Vacuum infusion of a composite E-glass vinylester laminate for nautical application:
Experimental response to repeated impacts Belingardi G, Cavatorta M, Paolino D
[17] Static fracture and failure behavior of aligned discontinuous mineral fiber reinforced
polypropylene composites Szabó J, Czigány T
[18] Investigation of mechanical properties and water absorption behaviour on tamarind
shell fiber - Reinforced epoxy composite laminates Baig W, Mushtaq M
[19] Effect of Graphene Powder on Banyan Aerial Root Fibers Reinforced Epoxy
Composites Ganapathy T, Sathiskumar R

19
[20] Isolation and characterization of cellulose nanocrystals from amla (Phyllanthus
emblica) pomace Gupta V, Ramakanth D
[21] Experimental Investigation into Mechanical Properties of Coconut Shell Powder
Modified Epoxy/3D E-Glass Composites Nayak S, Shenoy S
[22] Hybridization Effect on Mechanical Properties of Basalt/Kevlar/Epoxy Composite
Laminates Ramesh Velumayil, Anand Palanivel

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project mid
ORIGINALITY REPORT

14 %
SIMILARITY INDEX
11%
INTERNET SOURCES
10%
PUBLICATIONS
4%
STUDENT PAPERS

PRIMARY SOURCES

1
www.researchgate.net
Internet Source 4%
2
Submitted to Manipal Academy of Higher
Education (MAHE)
2%
Student Paper

3
www.espublisher.com
Internet Source 2%
4
moscow.sci-hub.se
Internet Source 1%
5
worldwidescience.org
Internet Source 1%
6
Saptarshi Maiti, Md Rashedul Islam,
Mohammad Abbas Uddin, Shaila Afroj,
1%
Stephen J. Eichhorn, Nazmul Karim.
‐
"Sustainable Fiber Reinforced Composites: A
Review", Advanced Sustainable Systems, 2022
Publication

7
Waseem baig, Mohammed Mushtaq.
"Investigation of mechanical properties and
1%
water absorption behaviour on tamarind shell