An AHP-TOPSIS Approach for Optimizing the Mechanical Performance of Natural Fiber-Based Green Composites

Abstract

Natural fibers have emerged as an effective replacement for synthetic fibers in the fabrication of green composites to be used for producing various components in automotive, aerospace, and other applications. In this proposed study, the mechanical properties of banana and coir fiber-based green composites have been optimized by using a hybrid AHP-TOPSIS approach. Corn starch along with glycerol has been used as the matrix material for fabricating the green composites. The mechanical properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact strength of the developed green composite have been optimized with a focus on the utilization of this composite in automotive and aerospace applications. Three different weight percentages (0%, 5%, and 10%) of banana and coir fibers was considered for the fabrication of green composites. The constituents of the green composite have been taken as the input variables whereas the mechanical properties of the green composite are considered as the output variables for designing the experiment. The design of the experiment consisted of nine different combinations of input and output variables. Results of the study revealed that 5 wt.% of banana fiber, 10 wt.% of coir fiber, and 85 wt.% of corn starch provide the optimum mechanical performance of the developed green composites.