Low-Velocity Impact, Free-Fall Drop Test of Prototype, and Failure Analysis of Hybrid Palm / Kenaf Reinforced MWCNT Phenolic Composites

Abstract

The research’s aim is to investigate the energy absorption, free-fall drop analysis, and failure analysis of Palm (P)/kenaf (K) fiber-reinforced MWCNT-phenolic composites. 3P:7K reinforced MWCNT–phenolic composites were made using manual mixing and hot pressing at 150°C with a pressure of 10 tonnes. Energy absorption was investigated using a drop weight impact tester. Free-fall drop test was performed to analyze the performance of the aircraft tray table prototype. Non-destructive testing was carried out to investigate the damage mechanism. The results demonstrate that as the impact energy increased from 1.50 J to 3.0 J, the crack length increased. There is a difference of 3% to 15% in the crack sizing between dye penetration and Digital Detector Array (DDA), indicating that DDA is more accurate. In the free-fall drop test, small cracks were detected in the dye penetration method on the prototype. The DDA approach, however, did not reveal any defects. The agglomerations were observed through DDA and Computed tomography. In this study, the hybrid CR/kenaf reinforced MWCNT modified phenolic composites exhibit superior performance that can act as an efficient and eco-friendly material for aircraft tray table application by preserving natural resources.

Keywords

• hybrid composites
• palm fiber
• kenaf fiber
• multi-walled carbon nanotubes
• low-velocity impact
• free-fall drop analysis
• nondestructive testing