Enhanced biodegradability and mechanical properties in green composites: a Taguchi approach

Abstract

Abstract Global government restrictions, such as carbon–neutral aims and increased environmental awareness, drive sustainable material development. In this context, the work applied the Taguchi technique to identify the parameters that significantly affected the green composite’s mechanical performance and biodegradability. Flax and sisal fiber mats are the reinforcing materials. We combined polylactic acid (PLA) granules with polybutylene succinate (PBS) for development in 20 and 30 percentage variations to enhance properties. Minitab 17.0 was used to create the L8 orthogonal matrix for experimentation. The effect of control parameters was analyzed to examine the best composite specification. The contribution of control parameters and the confirmation test was studied using analysis of variance (ANOVA). This composite has 49.8 MPa tensile strength, 97 MPa flexural strength, and 77 J impact energy absorbed. The flax specimen has the lowest moisture absorption at 17%. This study recommends the flax fiber mat-reinforced PLA/PBS green composite used in secondary load-bearing structural applications, such as automobile components and building panels.

Keywords

• Green composites
• Thermoplastic composite
• Polylactic acid
• Mechanical testing
• Moisture absorption