Evaluation of Impact Properties of River Tamarind Pod Fiber Reinforced with Epoxy Resin

Abstract

Composite material is a combination of two or more materials which are widely used in various construction and manufacturing applications. These composite materials are mostly manufactured from petroleum byproducts like glass fiber, carbon fiber, etc. While fabricating such fibers a lot of toxic gases are emitted in the atmosphere, these gases are harmful to environment. A better feasible solution is to replace such petroleum derived fibers with naturally derived fibers which are renewable and non-polluting to environment. In this research, we have developed a bio-composite from waste materials in which fibers from unused river tamarind pod were used as reinforcement and epoxy was use as matrix. The pods were treated with NaOH solution to separate the fibers from pod and to remove any wax present in it, then fibers are washed with acetic acid and water. The epoxy was prepared with addition of hardener and by mixing it together. The laminates were fabricated with hand lay- up process with help of mould. Later impact testing was done to evaluate laminate strength.