Physicomechanical and Taguchi optimized abrasive wear behaviour of KOH/KMnO₄/NaHCO₃ treated Himalayan Agave fiber reinforced polyester composite

This manuscript investigates the effect of various chemical treatments (potassium hydroxide, potassium permanganate and eco-friendly sodium bicarbonate) of Himalayan agave fibers (HAF) of size 7 mm on its physical, mechanical (tensile, flexural, impact, hardness and water absorption) and abrasive wear performance of HAF/polyester composites. The fibers were chemically treated at different concentration of 5, 10 and 15% of these chemicals for 24 h and reinforced at 10 wt% of fiber loading into polyester resin. Sodium bicarbonate fiber treated composite showed maximum tensile strength (145 MPa), flexural strength (214.5 MPa), impact strength (3.65 J cm⁻²), and hardness (30.33 H_v) with least water absorption as compared to other chemically treated HAF reinforced polyester composites. The optimum concentration of KOH and KMnO₄ treatment were arrived at 10 and 15% concentration respectively with both exhibiting comparable results. The dry abrasive specific wear rate of composites was studied at three different factors i.e. chemical concentration (5–15 wt%), normal load (10–30 N), and speed (50–150 RPM) using Taguchi technique L₉ orthogonal array. The sodium bicarbonate composite treated HAF based composites exhibited least specific abrasive wear rate. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis of worn surfaces revealed the fiber breakage, debonding, debris, crack surface and micro-ploughing as the prominent wear mechanism. (paper)