Hybridization of Polyester/Banana stem Fiber and Cow horn particulate composite for possible production of a military helmet

Abstract

The production of ballistic composites using polyethylene fibres from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and carbon fibres are gaining relevance. Although these materials have standard properties, they are very expensive and are not readily available. To develop a military helmet that will be less expensive and protect the safety of the personnel that leads to the development of polyester reinforced banana stem fibres (BSF) and cow horn particulate (CHp) composite. Polyester-15 wt BSF+4 wt% CHp was produced using a hand laying method. The composite was cured at 100°C for 6 h. The microstructure, strength, hardness values, and impact energy were determined using the standard method. Lower weight helmet that will not be too heavy and the same protect the safety of the personnel can be produced from this formulation. 94.66% enhancement in tensile strength and 174.79% of the impact energy were obtained. The values of the impact energy, hardness values, and strength obtained in this work are within the range for the production of military helmet.

Keywords

• cow horn
• banana stem fibre
• polyester
• microstructure
• strength
• impact energy