Synthesis and mechanical characterization of epoxy bio-composites reinforced with Kigelia Africana (sausage) fruit fibers for biomedical applications

In recent days natural fibres are gaining lot of interest for the development of polymer composites as an alternative to conventional fibres such as carbon, glass, aramid, due to their low cost, relatively good mechanical characteristics, high specific strength, nonabrasive, eco-friendly, and biodegradability. In the present work, treated Kigellia Africana (sausage) fruit fibres are reinforced with epoxy resin, composites were fabricated and characterized for their structural, mechanical, wear, vibration characteristics. Mineral salts, dirt, inorganic residues, leftover fruit pulp, and waxy materials were all eliminated using hydrochloric acid (HCl) treatment. Following the bleaching of the treated material, its properties were assessed and characterized. After the alkali treatment and bleaching, a substantial level of lignin and hemicellulose were removed, resulting in a highly cellulosic fibre with improved characteristics. Results showed that the HCl-treated fiber composites with cenosphere demonstrated their viability for load-bearing applications with tensile strengths of 32.24 MPa (96% improvement) and flexural strengths of 50.28 MPa (39.8% increase). The structure and uniform distribution Kigelia africana fibers were responsible for a maximum hardness of 34 RHN (57% greater), whereas RSM analysis showed minimal wear at 25 N load, 3000 m sliding distance, and 0.5 m/s velocity.