Track: Advance manufacturing process

Abstract

Sugarcane bagasse fiber is a good renewable and biodegradable substitute for the most prevalent synthetic reinforcement because of its minimal cost, high specific mechanical qualities, and availability. Better quality and performance composites with a lower weight-to-strength ratio are now required for a wide range of mechanical applications. To enhance their performance, natural fibers are sometimes modified using chemicals or blended with other materials. The main goal of this research is to represent the fabrication and evaluation of different mechanical properties of composite made from alkali-treated (1% and 5 % NaOH solution) bagasse fiber reinforced with UV resin using 3D printing technology and to analyze the effect of fiber extraction process on mechanical properties. Bagasse can be made from sugarcane residue collected from sugar mills and street vendors selling sugarcane juice. Bagasse must be thoroughly extracted from the sugarcane residue after collection. In this research, four different bagasse fiber extraction processes are used to achieve better mechanical properties. A chemical process utilizing sodium hydroxide solution has been used to extract bagasse fibers that are smoother and enhance the mechanical qualities of the fibers. The mechanical characteristics of this bagasse-reinforced composite material have been assessed using the tensile test. UV resin is used to reinforce composite samples made from treated bagasse fibers as part of additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing.  These samples of polymer matrix composites are made in accordance with applicable ASTM guidelines (ASTM d638, type-4). Several composite samples have been created after the fibers were extracted utilizing these procedures. It has been found that the 3D printing methodology does not result in bubble formation during the manufacture of the composite sample. Among the composite samples fabricated following four different extraction processes, one of them shows better tensile properties than the others.