Enhanced mechanical and thermal performance of Paederia foetida fiber-magnesium/epoxy composites: A sustainable solution for automotive and aerospace industries

Abstract

There's a constant need for strong, lightweight polymer composites in the automotive, aerospace, and military industries nowadays. The purpose of this work is to examine the mechanical, tribological, and thermal characteristics of composites made of magnesium powder and Paederia foetida fiber (PFs). In this study, the hot press method was utilized to create PFs/Mg/epoxy composites. PFs have been calculated to be 5 % and 10 % (% vol.) with varying Mg concentrations of 10 %, 15 %, and 20 %, in that order. They underwent analysis and comparison for their tensile strength, bending strength, and thermal and tribological properties. The findings of this study demonstrate that the composite containing 10 % PFs and 15 % Mg (KB sample) provides the maximum tensile strength of 38.17 ± 1.65 MPa, the highest flexural strength of close to 70 MPa, and is heat resistant. As the amount of magnesium powder increases, tribology analysis using mass wear intensity and linear wear intensity tends to be low. When 20 % magnesium is added, composites with a fiber volume fraction of 10 % exhibit better overall characteristics than composites with a fiber percentage of 5 %. Tensile test findings for the composite fracture's morphology indicate a rather robust interaction between PFs-Mg and epoxy. These PFs/Mg composites are a prospective alternative for the automobile sector since they have improved mechanical, thermal, and wear qualities as well as sustainability.