Effect of fiber content on the thermal conductivity and dielectric constant of hair fiber reinforced epoxy composite

This paper reports on the dielectric and thermal properties of hair fibers reinforced epoxy composites. Hair is an important part of human body which also offers protection to the human body. It is also viewed as a biological waste which is responsible for creating environmental pollution due to its low decomposition rate. But at the same time it has unique microstructural, mechanical and thermal properties. In the present work, epoxy composites are made by solution casting method with different proportions of short hair fiber (SHF). Effects of fiber content on the thermal conductivity and dielectric constant of epoxy resin are studied. Thermal conductivities of the composites are obtained using a Unitherm^TM Model 2022 tester. An HIOKI-3532-50 Hi Tester Elsier Analyzer is used for measuring the capacitance of the epoxy-SHF composite, from which dielectric constant (D_k) of the composite are calculated. A reduction in thermal conductivity of the composite is noticed with the increase in wt. % of fiber. The dielectric constant value of the composites also found to be significantly affected by the fiber content. (paper)