Characterization of wood polymer composite and design of root trainer

Chitra, KN and Abhilash, RM and Chauhan, SS and Venkatesh, GS and Shivkumar, ND (2018) Characterization of wood polymer composite and design of root trainer. In: 1st International Conference on Design, Materials and Manufacture, ICDEM 2018, 29 - 31 January 2018, Karnataka.

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Abstract

Biopolymers have received much attention of researchers due to concerns over disposal of plastics, greenhouse gas emission and environmental problems associated with it. Polylactic Acid (PLA) is one of the thermoplastic biopolymer made from lactic acid by using agricultural resources. PLA has received significant interest due to its competitive properties when compared to commodity plastics such as Polyethylene, Polypropylene and Polystyrene. PLA has interesting properties such as high stiffness, UV stability, clear and glossy finish. However, application of PLA is restricted due to its brittle nature. Engineering and thermal properties of PLA can be improved by reinforcing fibres and fillers. Lignocelluloses or natural fibres such as Jute, Hemp, Bamboo, Sisal and Wood fibres can be used as reinforcement. By using natural fibres, a very bio-compostable composite can be produced. In the present study, short fibres from Melia Dubia wood were extracted and used as reinforcement to PLA Bio-Polymer matrix. Characterization of developed composite was obtained using tensile and flexural tests. Tensile test simulation of composite was performed using Altair Hypermesh, a Finite Element (FE) preprocessor and LS-Dyna an explicit FE solver. MAT-01, an elastic material model in LS-Dyna was used to model the behaviour. Further, the design of Root Trainer using developed composite has been explored. A Root Trainer is an aid to the cultivation of seedlings in nurseries. Root Trainer made by using developed composite has advantage of biodegradability and eco-friendly nature.

Item Type:	Conference Paper
Publication:	AIP Conference Proceedings
Publisher:	American Institute of Physics Inc.
Additional Information:	The copyright for this article belongs to the American Institute of Physics Inc.
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Centre for Product Design & Manufacturing
Date Deposited:	08 Aug 2022 06:44
Last Modified:	08 Aug 2022 06:44
URI:	https://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/75578

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