Fabrication and mechanical characterization of Indian ramie reinforced polymer composites

The aim of present study is to improve mechanical properties of epoxy composites by reinforcing Indian ramie fiber at different loadings (0% to 40% by wt.). The ramie/epoxy composites are fabricated using hand lay-up technique. SEM and FTIR analysis are carried out to evaluate surface characteristics and functional groups for raw and processed fiber. Mechanical properties of developed composites including tensile, flexural and impact strength are evaluated. It is found that composites with 30 weight % of ramie fiber exhibited the highest mechanical properties among the developed composites. An increase of 75%, 163% and 94% in tensile, flexural and impact strength respectively was observed as compared to neat epoxy. The morphological study to examine fractured surface has been carried out by scanning electron microscopy, to evaluate the failure mechanism of composites. The results revealed that the developed polymer composites could serve as potential candidate materials for various industrial applications. (paper)