Effect of Fiber Content on Mechanical, Morphological, and Vibration Damping Characteristics of Natural Fiber-reinforced Composite Fuel Tanks

Rotational molding is a powder processing technology widely used to manufacture hollow plastic products. It is a well-known process used for the manufacturing of large containers, water tanks, fuel tanks, refrigerated containers, etc. This study aimed at the incorporation of Tampico and Palmyra fibers as reinforcement in Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) tanks produced by the rotational molding process. The effect of fiber content on various properties like mechanical, morphological, and vibration damping characteristics of the composites were investigated. The fibers were initially treated with 5% NaOH solution for better reinforcing efficiency and to improve the degradation temperature. Thermo Gravimetry Analysis (TGA) reported that a sufficient increment in degradation temperature is achieved by NaOH treatment on fibers. The short fiber composites considered for the study have obtained better mechanical strength than long fiber reinforced LLDPE composites. The results proved that fiber length has less effect on the vibration damping characteristics of the composites, but the percentage of fiber content is a significant factor for improving the natural frequency of the composites.