Papers by Thanh Mai Nguyen Tran
Optimizing composite materials is crucial for engineering advancements because it allows for the ... more Optimizing composite materials is crucial for engineering advancements because it allows for the creation of materials tailored to specific functional requirements, thereby enhancing efficiency, safety, and sustainability. This study examines both the combined and individual effects of long flax fiber (LFF) bun-Highlights • Multi-filler approach technique used for manufacturing of PP composites. • LFF, BF & RHP optimize mechanics & flammability. • Box-Behnken design predicts optimal composition for superior properties. • NSGA-II optimization improves tensile, thermal & flame retardant properties.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
While the potential of natural fiber (NF) composites for various engineering applications is well... more While the potential of natural fiber (NF) composites for various engineering applications is well-recognized, a deep understanding of the intricate interactions within these composites remains crucial. This study examines the microstructural characteristics of the polymer matrix and evaluates the impact of reinforcement size, with a particular focus on fire sensitivity. Hybrid-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites were introduced using a unique tri-hybrid system. This system combines long flax fibers (LFF) as primary reinforcement, with short basalt fibers (BF) and micro rice husk powder (RHP) as secondary reinforcements. These composites were fabricated using innovative extrusion, compression, and injection molding techniques. This novel fabrication method and strategic hybrid design bridged gaps in the composite structure, leading to significant enhancements in tensile and flexural strength. Improvements of 57.82%, 67.53%, and 60.02% over LFF/PP composites were observed, respectively. On the thermal front, the char residue surged by an impressive 497.51%. Flame properties, notably pHRR and THR, were reduced by 57.25% and 13.28%, respectively. These enhancements are attributed to the lignin in BF and the silica in RHP. The fire safety index further confirmed these improvements, with FGI and FPI increasing by 27.33% and 111.11%, respectively.
The present study investigates the synergistic effects of halloysite clay nanotubes (HNTs) and eg... more The present study investigates the synergistic effects of halloysite clay nanotubes (HNTs) and eggshell powder (ESP) derived from bio-waste on the thermomechanical properties of composites consisting of natural abacá fiber (AF) and polypropylene (PP). First, nine composite sheets of AF/PP incorporating varying loadings of HNTs and ESP (0-6 wt%) were fabricated. The effects of HNTs and ESP on the fracture surfaces of the AF/PP composite using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were examined. Subsequently, various experimental tests on the composite samples, including bending tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and cone calorimeter tests (CCT) were conducted. The results of the bending tests revealed a considerable improvement in the flexural properties of the samples containing HNTs. Specifically, the maximum flexural stress and flexural modulus of the composite containing 6 wt% HNT (H6E0) exhibited approximately 40% and 84% higher values, respectively, compared to the pure AF/PP composite (H0E0). Conversely, the incorporation of ESP had a detrimental effect on the flexural properties of the composites. Additionally, DSC analysis showed an improvement in the thermal behavior of the composite samples upon adding both ESP and HNTs. The results also revealed that while both HNT and ESP had positive effects on the melting temperature (Tm), the impact of ESP was more pronounced. Specifically, the experimental data indicated improvements of 0.9% and 2% in the Tm for the 6 wt% ESP-loaded composite (H0E6) and 6 wt% HNT/6 wt% ESP-loaded composite (H6E6) samples, respectively. Moreover, the CCT results showed that the composite sample containing 3 wt% HNT and 6 wt% ESP exhibited superior flame-retardant performance, indicating significantly improved flammability behavior of the AF/PP composites.
The main goal of the present study was to assess the effects of eggshell powder (ESP) and halloys... more The main goal of the present study was to assess the effects of eggshell powder (ESP) and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) on the mechanical properties of abaca fiber (AF)-reinforced natural composites. For this purpose, a limited number of indentation tests were first performed on the AF/polypropylene (PP) composites for different HNT and ESP loadings (0 wt.% ~ 6 wt.%), load amplitudes (150, 200, and 250 N), and two types of indenters (Vickers or conical). The Young's modulus, hardness and plasticity index of each specimen were calculated using the indentation test results and Oliver-Pharr method. The accuracy of the experimental results was confirmed by comparing the values of the Young's modulus obtained from the indentation test with the results of the conventional tensile test. Then, a feed-forward shallow artificial neural network (ANN) with high efficiency was trained based on the obtained experimental data. The trained ANN could properly predict the variations of the mentioned mechanical properties of AF/PP composites incorporated with different HNT and ESP loadings. Furthermore, the trained ANN demonstrated that HNTs increase the elastic modulus and hardness of the composite, while the incorporation of ESP reduces these properties. For instance, the Young's modulus of composites incorporated with 3 wt.% of ESP decreased by 30.7% compared with the pure composite, while increasing the weight fraction of ESP up to 6% decreased the Young's modulus by 34.8%. Moreover, the trained ANN indicated that HNTs have a more significant effect on reducing the plasticity index than ESP.
infrastructures, construction industry, home and office furniture, etc.). Of the pool of commerci... more infrastructures, construction industry, home and office furniture, etc.). Of the pool of commercially available NFs, the AF has been the choice for synthesizing countless NF composites. Extracted from the Musa textilis (i.e., a plant) (Ochi 2006), AF is dominantly produced in the Philippines wherein 84% of total demand for the abaca around the globe is being supplied at an annual average rate of 68,000 t/year (Barba et al. 2020). In terms of appearance, the abaca plant looks like a banana tree in that it has a root system in the middle from which 12-30 stems are originated. Growing to up to 8 m, the stems (i.e., stalks) are peeled to obtain AF. With lengths in the range of 1.5-3.5 m, the AFs exhibit various colors ranging from white to red and then to brown and black or purple (Vijayalakshmi et al. 2014). Being a highly strong commercially available NF, AFs have found diverse applications. The ever-increasing industrial application of AF as a sustainable source of fiber is associated with its
Carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, well known high specific strength and high specific stiffness, h... more Carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, well known high specific strength and high specific stiffness, have been widely used in the aircraft industry. Mostly the CFRP structure is fabricated by lamination of carbon fiber or carbon prepreg, which has major disadvantage called delamination. Delamination is usually produced due to absence of the through-thickness direction fiber. In this study, three-dimensional carbon preform woven in three directions is used for fabrication of aircraft wing unit structure, a part of repeated structure in aircraft wing. The unit structure include skin, stringer and rib were prepared by resin transfer molding method. After, the 3D structure was compared with laminate structure through compression test. The results show that 3D structure is not only effective to prevent delamination but improved the mechanical strength. Therefore, the 3d preform structure is expected to be used in various fields requiring delamination prevention, especially in the aircraft industry.
This study aims to achieve the desired properties of green composites using a novel reinforcement... more This study aims to achieve the desired properties of green composites using a novel reinforcement strategy with lignocellulose materials, including waste pinecone powder (PCP) (Pinus hartwegii) and specially prepared short woven flax fabrics (Linum usitatissimum) (SWFs). Initially, PCP (2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10%) was optimized with polypropylene (PP), and SWF was optimized by treating it with 15% of the flame retardant APP (called SWF A). The optimized PCP and SWF A were then reinforced with PP to produce the PCP-PP/SWF A composite. The effect of reinforcement on the mechanical, thermal, and flame-retardant properties of PP was studied. The mechanical test results of the PP composites with 8% PCP and 25% SWF were observed to improve significantly, by 23% and 38% respectively, compared to pure PP. The hybrid reinforcement (PCP-PP/SWF A) was observed to enhance the thermal stability of the composite by 98%, and its flame retardancy by 30%. Results obtained from the Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy support the inference of changes in the properties of PP after performing the reinforcement. Overall, the PP properties were greatly improved compared to those reported in the literature owing to the hybrid reinforcement. Hence, we believe that this study can show the path to researchers towards high thermal applications.
This research focused on the fabrication of flame-retardant green composites by utilizing inexpen... more This research focused on the fabrication of flame-retardant green composites by utilizing inexpensive bio-waste eggshell powder (ESP) as a flame-retardant additive to polypropylene (PP)/abaca fibers (AF) composites (AF/ESP-PP). The optimization of AF reinforcement in composites examines various wt% (5-20)
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Papers by Thanh Mai Nguyen Tran