Research Article
Mechanical and Morphological Studies of Sansevieria trifasciata
Fiber-Reinforced Polyester Composites with the Addition of SiO
2
and B
4
C
P. Hariprasad,
1
M. Kannan,
1
C. Ramesh,
1
A. Felix Sahayaraj,
1
I. Jenish ,
2
Fayaz Hussain,
3
Nidhal Ben Khedher,
4,5
Attia Boudjemline,
6
and V. Suresh
7
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kalaignar Karunanidhi Institute of Technology, Coimbatore 641402, Tamilnadu, India
2
Department of Applied Mechanics, Seenu Atoll School, Addu, Ministry of Education, Maldives
3
Faculty of Integrated Technologies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Darussalam
4
Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Ha’il, Ha’il 81451, Saudi Arabia
5
Laboratory of ermal and Energetic Systems Studies (LESTE) at the National School of Engineering of Monastir,
University of Monastir, Monastir 5000, Tunisia
6
Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Ha’il, Ha’il 81451, Saudi Arabia
7
Department of Biotechnology, Sharafuddin School, Hithadhoo, Postal Code 19020, Maldives
Correspondence should be addressed to V. Suresh; suresh.velse@sharafuddin.edu.mv
Received 31 March 2022; Accepted 6 June 2022; Published 11 July 2022
Academic Editor: K. Raja
Copyright © 2022 P. Hariprasad et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
e impact of SiO
2
and B
4
C on mechanical and morphological studies of Sansevieria trifasciata fiber (STF) reinforced in polyester
composites is investigated in this study. STF fibers are reinforced with polyester composites with the addition ceramic fillers such
as SiO
2
and B
4
C in various weight fractions to improve tensile, flexural, and impact characteristics. e morphological properties
are studied with the help of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). e improved mechanical properties were tensile strength
(44.92 MPa), flexural strength (103.58 MPa), and impact strength (27.4 kJ/m
2
) obtained for 20 wt.% STF fiber and 15 wt.% SiO
2
reinforcement with the polyester matrix. e mechanical characteristics of the composites were significantly influenced by
increasing SiO
2
up to 15 wt.%.
1. Introduction
Natural fiber-reinforced composites (NFRC) have been
more important in specialized applications ranging from
sports to biomedicine and the military in recent decades.
Automotive industries, sporting goods, and structural
components are dominated by composites derived from
petroleum-based synthetic fibers. Synthetic fibers are often
used in a variety of sectors due to their excellent mechanical
qualities and inexpensive cost. ese fibers, on the other
hand, have several drawbacks, including high cost, causing
environmental pollution by emitting greenhouse gases [1].
When petroleum-based goods are burned, a large quantity
of CO
2
is released into the atmosphere. Natural fibers are
gradually replacing petroleum-based fibers due to concerns
about the environment, sustainability, and the need for
biodegradable and energy-efficient products [2, 3]. Jute,
sisal, kenaf, and hemp are some of the frequently used
natural fibers [4–7]. Natural fibers derived from plants are
mostly composed of various elements (cellulose, hemi-
cellulose, lignin, etc.) [8, 9]. Compared to synthetic fibers,
natural fibers have numerous advantages including light
density, low cost, simple availability, biodegradability,
recyclability, easy processing, and minimum health con-
cerns [10, 11]. Meanwhile, they need to improve the fol-
lowing properties such as matrix fiber adhesion, thermal
stability, and mechanical strength [12]. When compared to
synthetic fiber composites, poor matrix fiber adhesion is
Hindawi
Advances in Materials Science and Engineering
Volume 2022, Article ID 1634670, 5 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/1634670