Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites

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Modeling and Evaluation of Tensile Properties of Randomly Oriented Banana/Epoxy Composite

N. Venkateshwaran and A. ElayaPerumal
Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites published online 1 December 2011
DOI: 10.1177/0731684411430559

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Modeling and evaluation of tensile 0(00) 1–11

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DOI: 10.1177/0731684411430559
banana/epoxy composite jrp.sagepub.com

N. Venkateshwaran and A. ElayaPerumal

Abstract
The main aim of this study is to compare the experimentally observed tensile properties of banana/epoxy composite with
those obtained using various theories of reinforcement. Models used for the comparison are Hirsch, Halpin–Tsai,
Nielson, Bowyer and Bader’s, and Modified Rule of Mixture. Further, the effect of fiber length on the tensile properties
of the composite was compared with Bowyer and Bader method. Of the used theories of reinforcement, it is found that
Modified rule of mixture predicts tensile properties closer to experimental values and next comes Bowyer and Bader
method.

Keywords
polymer composite, banana fiber, mechanical properties, scanning electron microscope

for a wide range of applications, including: laminates,

Introduction fillers and panel products, composites, alloys and
Natural fibers play an important role in developing blends, and cellulose derivatives. Study on various nat-
high-performance fully biodegradable ‘green’ compos- ural fibers such as bamboo, jute, coir, palmyra, banana
ites, which will be key materials used to solve the and sisal, are reported in the literature1–10 and a brief
environmental problems in future. Natural fibers offer discussion about them is given as follows.
many attractive qualities – technical and environmental Varadarajulu et al.1 studied the tensile strength and
– when used as reinforcements in polymer composites. chemical resistance of bamboo fiber-reinforced with
During the last two decades, a renewable interest has polyester composite. Study shows that composite resis-
been observed in the growth of natural fiber-reinforced tance to hydrochloric acid is poorer than other types of
composites owing to the growing concern over the chemicals used for study. Mansur and Aziz2 investi-
non-renewable nature as well as the problems associ- gated the feasibility of jute fiber as reinforcement in
ated with the disposal of the synthetic fibers. The price– concrete. Kulkarni et al.3,4 studied the properties of
performance ratio of the natural fiber composites coir and banana fibers. Velmurugan and
makes them more attractive for not only building and Manikandan5 studied the effect of glass fiber addition
automotive applications but also for packaging, furni- in palmyra fiber composite. It is found that the addition
ture, and even aerospace applications. The increasing of glass fiber increases the mechanical properties.
demand for the natural fiber composites has been
shown by the current expansion of research and devel-
opment activities on these composites during the past Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering Guindy,
years. A vast number of natural fibers are used for Anna University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
making composites, including wood, jute, bamboo,
sisal, and hemp. The study of polymer composites Corresponding author:
N. Venkateshwaran, Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical
that contain cellulosic materials has been recognized Engineering, College of Engineering Guindy, Anna University, Chennai
as an important area of research for over a decade. 600025, Tamil Nadu, India
Cellulosic materials are used in the polymer industry Email: venkatcad@yahoo.com

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2 Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites 0(00)

Sapuan et al.6 investigated the tensile properties of between fiber length, fiber orientation, fiber dispersion,
woven banana/epoxy composite and results indicate fiber geometry, and degree of interfacial adhesion
the feasibility of the use of the composite in low-cost between fiber and matrix. Various proposed theories
applications. Venkateshwaran and Elayaperumal7 of reinforcement include Einstein and Guth, Kerner,
reviewed various works carried out using banana Parallel and Series models, Hirsch’s model, Halpin and
fiber. Joseph et al.8,9 studied the mechanical properties modified Halpin–Tsai models, Cox model, and modified
of sisal fiber reinforced with low-density polyethylene Bowyer and Bader’s model. Kalaprasad et al.17 have
and polypropylene. Both the studies show that the rein- compared the experimentally observed tensile properties
forcement with sisal fiber provides better properties of the composite made of sisal and low-density polyeth-
than pure matrix materials. Jacob et al.10 investigated ylene with various theories of reinforcement. Of all the
the effect of sisal/oil palm hybrid fibers on the mechan- models compared, it is found that Hirsch and modified
ical properties of natural rubber composite. Bowyer and Bader model equations can reasonably pre-
Of the various categories of composite available, dict the tensile properties of the randomly oriented com-
particle-reinforced composites are the cheapest and posite. Sun et al.18 have used the finite element technique
most widely used. The rule of mixture predicts the to model the single-fiber pullout test. Analysis includes
upper limit of the elastic modulus of the composite. the effect of the number of elements, matrix/fiber stiff-
Due to the compatibility issue, the rule of mixture ness ratio, embedded fiber cross-sections on the axial
fails to show reasonable agreement with most experi- stress, and IFSS in the fiber and matrix. Joseph et al.19
mental tensile properties of natural fiber composites. compared the experimental and theoretical mechanical
The rule of mixture is generally used to predict the properties of sisal–polypropylene composite. Further,
strength of unidirectional continuous fiber-reinforced the anisotropy behavior of tensile properties on fiber
composites. It assumes that a uniform strain condition orientation was also studied.
exists in both matrix and fibers. In other words, the rule The main aim of this study is to compare the exper-
of mixture will agree with the experimental result only imentally observed tensile properties of banana/epoxy
if unidirectional continuous fibers are used and there is composite with those obtained from various theories of
a good compatibility between fibers and matrix.11 For reinforcement. Composites are fabricated using ran-
the fiber-reinforced composites, the matrix has lower domly oriented fibers of varying fiber volume fractions
modulus than the fiber; so, it gets strained more. To (0.066, 0.103, 0.144, and 0.19) and lengths (5, 10, 15,
achieve effective strengthening and stiffening, the fibers and 20 mm) using hand lay-up technique. Models used
must be larger than a critical length ‘lc’, defined as the for the comparison are Hirsch, Halpin–Tsai, Nielson,
minimum length at which the center of the fiber reaches Bowyer and Bader’s, and Modified Rule of Mixture
the ultimate (tensile) strength  f, when the matrix (MRoM).
achieves the maximum shear strength  m.
The strength of the composite mainly depends on the
interface bonding between the fiber and matrix. Models of reinforcement
An interface is the region of significantly changed Several theories have been proposed to model the
chemical composition that constitutes the bond tensile properties of the composite. They are Einsten
between the matrix and reinforcement.12 The role of equation, Einsten and Guth equations, Modified
the fiber–matrix interface in determining the composite Guth equation, Kerner equation, Parallel and series
properties has been the focus of several investiga- models, Rule of Mixtures, Hirsch model, Halpin–Tsai
tions.13–15 A few experimental techniques have been and modified Halpin–Tsai models, Cox model and
developed to characterize the interface properties, Bowyer and Bader’s model. A brief description of the
including fiber pull-out, fiber fragmentation, and fiber theories of interest (Hirsch model, Halpin–Tsai models,
push-out (or indentation) tests.16 In these tests, the Neilson model, Bowyer and Bader’s model, and
bond quality at the fiber–matrix interface is measured MRoMs) is given below.
in terms of the interface fracture toughness, Gic, or the
interface shear (bond) strength (IFSS),  b, for
the bonded interface, and the interface frictional Hirsch model
strength,  fr, which is a function of the coefficient of
friction , and residual fiber clamping stress, q0, for It is the combination of parallel and series models. In
the debonded interface. Therefore, these tests are con- this, tensile strength and modulus of the composite are
sidered to provide direct measurements of interface given by:20
properties relative to the test methods based on bulk
composite specimens. In literature, various theories of Tf Tm
Tc ¼ xðTmVm þ Tf Vf Þ þ ð1  xÞ ð1Þ
reinforcement were used to describe the relationship TmVf þ Tf Vm

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Venkateshwaran and ElayaPerumal 3

Mf Mm where
Mc ¼ xðMmVm þ MfVf Þ þ ð1  xÞ
MmVf þ Mf Vm
ð2Þ ¼ 1 þ ½ð1max Þ=ð2max Þ Vf ð9Þ

where Tc, Tm, and Tf are the tensile strengths of the ’max is the maximum packing fraction, 0.82, for ran-
composite, matrix (epoxy), and the fiber (banana domly oriented fibers.
fiber), respectively; Mc, Mm, and Mf are the moduli of
composite, matrix, and fiber, respectively; Vm and Vf
are the volume fractions of the matrix and fiber, respec-
Bowyer and Bader’s model
tively; x is the parameter that determines the stress According to Bowyer and Bader’s model23, tensile
transfer between fiber and matrix. strength and modulus are given by:
For randomly oriented fiber composite, x ¼ 0–1.17
Tc ¼ Tf K1 K2 Vf þ Tm Vm ð10Þ

Halpin–Tsai model Mc ¼ Mf K1 K2 Vf þ Mm Vm ð11Þ

According to this model, tensile strength and modulus
are given as:21 where K1 is the fiber orientation factor

1 þ AVf K2 ¼ ðl  lcÞ=2l for l 4 lc ð12Þ

Tc ¼ Tm ð3Þ
1  Vf
1 þ AVf or
Mc ¼ Mm ð4Þ
1  Vf
K2 ¼ lc=2l for l 5 lc ð13Þ
where
where l is the length of the fiber and lc the critical length
Tf =Tm  1 of the fiber.
¼ for tensile strength ð5Þ
Tf =Tm þ A
Modified rule of mixture
Mf =Mm  1
¼ for tensile modulus ð6Þ MRoM equation cited in Thi-Thou24 predicts the ten-
Mf =Mm þ A
sile strength of the composite as:
The value of the parameter ‘A’ is found out from
Tc ¼ Tm ð1  Vf Þ þ Tf Vfe ð14Þ
Einstein coefficient K as given below:
where Tc denotes the ultimate tensile strength of the
A ¼ K  1 and
composite; Tm is the matrix strength at the failure
2l strain of the fiber; Tf is the ultimate tensile strength
K¼1þ
d of the fiber; Vf is the volume fraction of fiber;
Vfe ¼ (Vf (1  P)) is the effective fiber volume fraction;
where l and d are length and diameter of the fiber,
P ¼ ("Tc/TfVf) is the degradation parameter effective
respectively.
fiber-volume fraction lies between 0 and 1, where "Tc
is the difference between the experimentally measured
Neilson model strength and that predicted by rule of mixture.25
Nielson model22 is also called as modified Halpin–Tsai
model because Neilson modified the original Halpin– Experimental procedure
Tsai equation by introducing the particle packing
factor ’. The equations used to predict tensile strength Materials
and modulus are as given below: Epoxy LY556 and hardener HY951 of density
1.13 g/cm3 are used as matrix materials to prepare
1 þ AVf the composite plate. The weight ratio of mixing
Tc ¼ Tm ð7Þ
1   Vf epoxy and hardener is 10:1. Resin and hardener are
manually stirred for 10 min before being poured into
1 þ AVf the mold. Resin was purchased from local dealers. The
Mc ¼ Mm ð8Þ
1   Vf fiber used in this study is banana plant, extracted from

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4 Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites 0(00)

Table 1. Physical and mechanical properties of banana fiber and resin

Materials Density (g/cm3) Tensile strength (MPa) Tensile modulus (MPa) Elongation at break (%) Diameter (mm)

Banana fiber 1.45 400–600 16,000–20,000 7–12 300–450

Epoxy 1.13 10 300 7–12 –

its pseudo-stem. Properties of fibers and resin used are tensile test, were observed using Hitachi–S3400 N scan-
listed in Table 1. ning electron microscope. The fractured portions of the
samples were cut and gold coated over the surface uni-
formly for examination. The accelerating voltage used
Mold preparation
in this study is 10 kV.
The mold used in this study is made of well-seasoned
teak wood of dimensions 300  300  3 mm3 dimension
with eight beadings. The fabrication of the composite
Results and discussion
material was carried out through the hand lay-up tech- Composites fabricated using fibers of lengths 5, 10, 15,
nique. The top and bottom surfaces of the mold and the and 20 mm were analyzed in this study. However, it is
walls are coated with remover and allowed to dry. The found that composites incorporated with 15 mm fibers
functions of top and bottom plates are to cover, com- of length give the maximum mechanical properties.26
press the fiber after the epoxy is applied, and also to Hence, the fiber of length 15 mm is chosen in this
avoid the debris from entering into the composite parts study. Figures 1 and 2 show the comparison of exper-
during the curing time. imental and theoretical values of the tensile properties
of the composite as a function of fiber volume fraction.
Theoretical strengths of the composite are calculated
Fabrication of composites using various theories of reinforcement as mentioned
Fibers of various lengths (5, 10, 15, and 20 mm) and earlier. From Figure 1, it is clearly seen that the tensile
volume fractions (0.066, 0.103, 0.144, and 0.189) were strength of the composite increases with increase in
mixed with epoxy for the fabrication of composite. the fiber volume fraction. Figures 1 and 2 also show
Fibers are initially compressed in the mold for a day. the good correlation between experimental and some of
Now molds are cleaned, dried, and a layer of poly vinyl the theoretically evaluated tensile properties of the
alcohol is applied, releasing agent. A layer of epoxy is composite.
poured over the mold and the compressed fibers are Hirsch model is the combination of parallel and
placed over it. After uniformly arranging the fibers, series models which are comfortably applicable to the
another layer of epoxy was poured over the fiber uni- short fiber composites. In this model, the parameter ‘x’
formly and compressed for a curing time of 24 h. After plays an important role in predicting the tensile
the hand lay-up process, the laminate was kept in com- strength of the composite. Hence, we can say that ‘x’
pression molding machine for 10 min under 50 MPa is a controlling factor which describes the behavior of
pressure and 50 C temperature. After the curing pro- the composite. The value predicted by this model is in
cess, test samples were cut to the required sizes pre- better comparison with experiment when x ¼ 0.09. The
scribed in the ASTM standards. value predicted using Hirsch model has the largest devi-
ation from the experimental ones when compared with
the other models.
Testing standards The Halpin–Tsai model predicts the tensile strength
After fabrication, the test specimens were subjected to and modulus of the composite using Equations (3) and
tensile test as per ASTM standards. The standards fol- (4), respectively. On comparing the experimental and
lowed are ASTM-D 638 for tensile test with test speed Halpin–Tsai model values, the tensile strength evalu-
of 5 mm/min. The sample used is a dog bone-shaped ated using Halpin–Tsai model shows higher bound
one with gauge length 50 mm. Tensile test was carried values than the experimental ones. The introduction
out using Tinius Olsen Universal Testing Machine – of factor ‘’’ by Nielson in the Halpin–Tsai equation
H10KS make. enables it to predict the value closer to the experimental
one when compared with the Halpin–Tsai equation.
The values of tensile properties are predicted using
Morphological study
Equations (7) and (8). By assuming that the fibers are
Interfacial properties, such as fiber–matrix adhesion, arranged in a randomly oriented closely packed fash-
fracture behavior, and fiber pull-out of samples after ion, the value of ‘’’ is taken as 0.82.

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Venkateshwaran and ElayaPerumal 5

Figure 1. Variation of theoretical and experimental tensile strengths of the composite.

Figure 2. Variation of theoretical and experimental tensile moduli of the composite.

The strength and modulus values of the composite properties are closer to experimental ones. This is
are predicted by the Bowyer and Bader model using due to the introduction of length and orientation of
Equations (9) and (10). This model introduces two fiber in the equation. Since, it is known that length is
factors, namely K1 and K2. In this case ‘l ¼ lc’; one of the important factors in determining the
either Equation (12) or (13) can be used to calculate mechanical properties of the composite, its inclusion
the value of K2. The value of K1 is taken as 0.2 for in the equation results in prediction of the closer
randomly oriented fibers.27 When the values of K1 values of the composite properties.
and K2 are 0.2 and 0.5, the values predicted by Thi-Thou et al. used the MRoM equation to predict
Bowyer and Bader model are in good agreement the tensile strength of the composite. The Rule of
with the experimental ones. Of all the available Mixture equation was modified by introducing a
models compared, it is found that the values pre- factor called degradation parameter for obtaining an
dicted by the Bowyer and Bader model of tensile effective fiber volume fraction (P). The introduction

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6 Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites 0(00)

Figure 3. Comparison of tensile strengths of the composite at 0.066Vf.

Figure 4. Comparison of tensile strengths of the composite at 0.103Vf.

Figure 5. Comparison of tensile strengths of the composite at 0.144Vf.

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Venkateshwaran and ElayaPerumal 7

Figure 6. Comparison of tensile strengths of the composite at 0.19Vf.

Figure 7. Comparison of experimental and theoretical moduli of the composite at optimum fiber volume fraction.

of parameter P has modified the basic rule of mixture differences between experimental and theoretical
and it also predicts the values closer to the experimental models also increase.
ones than the other models discussed above. Figure 7 shows the comparison of experimental and
The effects of fiber length on the tensile strength of theoretically predicted tensile modulus values of the
composite are shown in Figures 3–6. The comparison composite at optimum fiber volume fraction
between experimental and theoretical (Bowyer and (0.144Vf).26 At this optimum fiber volume fraction, ten-
Bader) values is shown in the above-mentioned plots. sile modulus values, predicted and experimental, are in
Equation (12) is used to calculate the K2 values when close agreement. Results indicate that the critical fiber
the fiber length is 20 mm. For the fiber lengths 5 and length and optimum fiber volume fraction plays an
10 mm, Equation (13) was used. For the case of 15 mm, important role in predicting the tensile properties of
which is the critical length, either Equation (12) or (13) the composite.
can be used. Fracture behavior of the composite is studied with
All the plots (3, 4, 5, and 6) show that the values the help of fractrographs obtained from scanning elec-
predicted are in good agreement with the experimental tron microscope images. Figure 8 shows the micro-
ones at critical fiber length (15 mm). It also shows that graph of tensile failure specimen at 0.144Vf. It shows
as the fiber length and volume fraction increase, the that the failure of composite occurs by fiber pull-out

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Figure 8. Micrograph of tensile fractured specimen – 0.144Vf.

Figure 9. Micrograph of tensile specimen before complete failure – 0.144Vf.

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Venkateshwaran and ElayaPerumal 9

Figure 10. Micrograph of tensile fractured specimen – 0.19Vf.

Figure 11. SEM image of tensile fractured specimen – 0.19Vf.

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10 Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites 0(00)

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