PSI - Issue 71

Manas Samantaray et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 71 (2025) 348–356

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3. Results and Discussion The results show the feasibility of recycling textile waste into natural fiber-reinforced composites with desirable mechanical, thermal, and acoustic properties, aligning with the research goals of developing sustainable materials for automobile applications. The enhancement in tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and flexural strength with increasing fiber volume fraction compares with previous studies by Umar et al. (2017) and Baccouch et al. (2020), shows the improvements to better interfacial bonding and load transfer. However, mechanical properties decline beyond 40% fiber volume fraction is consistent with findings by Masood et al. (2018), highlighting the challenges of resin flow and void formation at high fiber content. The study also show increase in water absorption with higher fiber volume, reflecting the hydrophilic nature of natural fibers reported by Muller (2016), while diffusion coefficient trends suggest potential for improvement through chemical treatments. The high sound absorption coefficient above 1500 Hz parallels findings by M. Idicula et al. (2010), showcasing the material’s effectiveness in noise insulation due to its porous structure. These findings show the composite's feasibility as a sustainable and lightweight alternative to traditional materials, also reduces the landfill and contribute to the circular economy. 4. Applications Using composites for seat padding and coverings can provide comfort and durability. Lightweight and customizable, these panels can enhance the aesthetic and functional aspects of car interiors. Composites can be used for the interior roof lining, offering sound insulation and a refined look. Composites can be molded into various shapes for exterior body panels, reducing vehicle weight and potentially improving fuel efficiency. Durable and impact-resistant, composite bumpers can enhance safety while maintaining a lightweight structure. Using waste derived composites for trims can provide cost-effective and environmentally friendly options for various exterior elements. For parts that do not bear heavy loads but require strength and rigidity, such as interior supports and non load-bearing frames, these composites are ideal due to their high strength-to-weight ratio. The developed composite can be used in doors, seatback, boot lining bumper, engine insulation, wheel box, roof cover, cargo foot tray, door panel, floor mat etc. 5.Conclusion The textile waste was successfully reinforced to develop the composite material. As the volume proportion of fibres rises, the composites that are formed show a bigger value for storage modulus. The metrics of impact toughness, elongation at break, flexural strength, and young's modulus increase up to a volume percentage of 40%; beyond that, they start to decrease again. Every characteristic is also impacted by engine speed. Examining the solution at different temperatures might further highlight the features. The sound absorption coefficient increases with the increase in frequency. It is also observed that above a frequency range of 1500 Hz the composite shows the best sound absorption property, and it has the average sound absorption coefficient of 0.94 in between 2000 hz to 4000 hz. The water absorptivity of the composite increased with the increase in the volume fraction of the textile fibre. Also, the percentage in gain in weight increased with time. With the increase in volume fraction the diffusion coefficient increases and the water content as well. It is simple and affordable to construct automotive elements including doors, roof liners, different dampening and insulating pieces, heed rest, bumpers, and hoods by using the developed composite. As it is less embedded energy than aluminum and steel, therefore it can be produced cheaply and with little investment. It mostly pertains to upcoming electric discharge-driven automobiles. References Baccouch, W.; Ghith, A.; Yalcin - Enis, I.; Sezgin, H.; Miled, W.; Legrand, X.; Faten, F., 2020. Enhancement of fiber - matrix interface of recycled cotton fibers reinforced epoxy composite for improved mechanical properties, Mater. Res. Express.7, 15340. Idicula M., Joseph K., and Thomas S., 2010. Mechanical performance of short banana/sisal hybrid fiber reinforced polyester composites, Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites 29, no.1, 12–29. Masood, Z.; Ahmad, S.; Umair, M.; Shaker, K.; Nawab, Y.; Karahan, M. 2018. Mechanical Behaviour of Hybrid Composites Developed from Textile Waste, Fibres Text. East. Eur..26, 46–62.