Optimizing Characteristics of Agave Americana Fibre Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites Using Taguchi Grey Relation Analysis

The present study focuses on the optimization of thermal and mechanical characteristics of AgaveAmericana Fibre Reinforced Composites (AAFRC) using Taguchi Grey Relational Analysis. The compositesamples were manufactured through compression molding, with three factors being varied: type ofpolyester resin, fibre volume fraction, and composite thickness. Each factor had three levels, and a TaguchiL9 orthogonal array was employed to design the experiment, resulting in nine experimental runs. TheTaguchi-GRA approach identified optimal parameters: Isophthalic Polyester Resin (Mechanical Grade), afibre volume fraction of 0.40, and a composite thickness of 9mm. This method significantly contributed todetermining the best combination of factors, enhancing the composite's overall performance An Analysis ofVariance was conducted to determine the primary influential factor, and all three factors were found to besignificant. The fibre volume fraction emerged as the factor with the highest significant influence,accounting for 54.51% of the observed characteristics of manufactured composites. The tensile, flexural,impact and compressive strength of the composites exhibited a positive correlation with the fibre volumefraction, indicating the reinforcing effect of the fibres. Confirmation experiments conducted with theoptimal parameters demonstrated an impressive 83.22% improvement in the grey relation grade