ENGINEERING FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT Jelgava, 25.-27.05.2022. 737 ANALYSIS OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF COMPOSITE NANOFIBERS CONSTRUCTED ON ROTATING DRUM AND COLLECTOR PLATE Jaymin-Vrajlal Sanchaniya, Sai-Pavan Kanukuntla, Shino Simon, Anita Gerina-Ancane Riga Technical University, Latvia jaymin.sanchaniya@rtu.lv, sai-pavan.kanukuntla@rtu.lv, shino.simon@edu.rtu.lv, anita.gerina-ancane@rtu.lv Abstract. The methods of deposition of nanofibers on a rotating drum and a stationary plate, as well as analysis of mechanical properties of the nanofibers from both collectors, are proposed in this article. The deposition of nanofibers on collectors is crucial, as it is the successful development of nanofibers with various types of collectors, as well as the evaluation and demonstration of their strength and other mechanical properties. The most popular method for producing continuous nanofibers is electro spinning, which involves jetting polymer solutions in high electric fields to produce continuous nanofibers with diameters ranging from 200 to 600 nm. These results were compared using ANSYS, and the material behavior of biaxial nanofibers collected from the spinning collector was identified. The rotating drum collector’s spinning speed causes the fibers to stretch, resulting in alignment and a decrease in diameter. The rotating drum collector adds force to the strong shear and elongation forces that arrange the chains and align the lamellae in the fiber axis direction during the electro-spinning process. As a result, the nanofibers on the rotating drum are aligned uniaxial. It indicates that by altering the collector design, the alignment and mechanical properties of nanofibers can be improved. The results showed that the nanofibers collected from the spinning drum were more consistently aligned (biaxial arrangement) than those obtained from the stationary plate and had Young’s modulus of composite 5.01 GPa and 4.4 GPa respectively, ~9% more strength than the nanofibers collected from flat plate. Keywords: electro spinning, nanofibers, ANSYS, random fibers, biaxial fibers. Introduction Nanofibers bring us a wide range of opportunities with new features by physically and chemically changing them during or after the production process [1; 2]. Electro spinning is a one of the popular methods for producing continuous nonwoven nanofiber mats [3; 4]. Nanofiber deposition on the collector is extremely important [5; 6]. To evaluate the strength and other mechanical properties, composite nanofibers must be developed and collected on a rotating drum and stationary plate. Fabricated and deposited on a fast-rotating drum and stationary plate to simulate random and biaxial nanofiber alignment on this collector. These results are compared to those obtained from nanofibers gathered at random on a stationary plate collector. Better understanding of dynamic nano-fibre interactions with the electric field and collectors should lead to improved collector devices and one-step integrated nano fabrication of designer nano-filamentary assemblies and architectures [7; 8]. One of the biggest technological challenges of the last decade has been to come up with and mass- manufacture more efficient materials in all kinds of industries. We can make this material stronger and more durable by adding short, discontinuous fibers [9-12]. A lot of people are looking for new metal- matrix composites that have a lower density for automotive and aerospace applications [13]; new metal- ceramic composites with unique designs [14; 15]; and new metal-crystal-polymer composite fibers that can protect people from electromagnetic fields in the office [16-18]. Polymer matrix-based nanocomposites have been extensively employed, analysed, and explored across all engineering disciplines and in several industrial sectors, including defence, automotive, and space. Epoxy polymer composites reinforced with nanoparticles, in particular, have received increasing attention due to their unique and enticing qualities, as well as their unique uses in a variety of industrial fields [19]. Nanomaterials increase the mechanical characteristics and performance of epoxy polymer composites significantly. The qualities of epoxy polymer nanocomposites are determined by the chemistry of the matrices, the nature and uniformity of the nanomaterials contained inside the matrices, and the manner by which they are configured to achieve the required mechanical and physical properties [19]. A collector or a collecting surface is used to collect electro spun fibers. The collector is supported by an insulated stand, which provides for future regulation. For electro-spinning setups, various collectors such as a flat piece of metal, a screen, or even a rotating drum, known as a frame collector, have been devised for textile application [20; 21]. A rotating drum collector adds force to the strong DOI: 10.22616/ERDev.2022.21.TF227