Era of bast fibers-based polymer composites for replacement of man-made fibers.

Bast fibers are defined as those obtained from the outer cell layers of the bast of various plant families. They are finding use in textile applications and are widely used as reinforcements for green composites, as bast fibers are perceived as "sustainable". There is a growing demand for bast fibers across the world due to their renewable and biodegradable nature. The bast fibers are mainly composed of cellulose, which potentially considers the growing techniques, harvesting and extraction processes of bast fibers most used to produce fibers with appropriate quality to apply in the daily lives of modern men and women in contemporary society. This review paper looks at many aspects of natural fibers, with a focus on plant bast fibers, including their impact on prehistoric and historical society. This review shows that bast fibers are competitive compared to man-made fibers in many applications, but variability in mechanical properties and low tenacity may limit their use in high-strengthh composites and extend to, particularly in aerospace, automotive, packaging, building industries, insulation, E-composites (Eco composites), geotextiles and many other applications are currently being explored. Considering, important characteristics of bast fibers include physical, mechanical, and chemical properties. This makes bast fibers one of the most important classes of plant fibers to use as reinforcing agents in thermosetting/thermoplastic polymer matrices. And the effect of bast fibers as reinforcement in the properties of ECO-composites, GREEN-composites, BIO-composites, lightweight composites. Bast fibers play an important role in sustainability, the preservation of the health of the environment, the well-being of the next generation, and even the daily lives of men and women in the contemporary world.

Impact of yarn compositions, loop length, and float stitches on the mechanical behavior of knitted fabrics via full factorial design and RSM.

This article presents a study on the tensile properties of knitted fabrics commonly employed in polymeric matrix textile composites. The key mechanical parameters investigated include stress (Pa), strain, Young's modulus (Pa), and work of rupture (J). The knitted fabrics were developed using the Cixing Knitting System software and subsequently manufactured using a double jersey (electronic) flat knitting machine. The primary objective of this research was to explore the impact of various factors on the mechanical behavior of these knitted fabrics. The factors studied were wale and course directions, float stitch density, loop length (cm), and the type of synthetic knitting yarns used (100% polyester and 100% polyamide) along with different combinations of knitting yarns (100% cotton and 67% polyester/33% cotton hybrid). The adopted ASTM D 5034 standard, Response Surface Methodology (RSM), and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were employed to evaluate the mechanical performance of these fabric structures. The findings of the study revealed that the statistical adjustment of the data set for stress, strain, Young's modulus, and work of rupture in knitted fabric structures significantly reduced the standard deviations for mechanical responses. This information holds particular significance as it pertains to the frequent use of these knitted fabric structures as reinforcement in textile-reinforced composite materials. Overall, this study sheds light on the mechanical behavior in structures of knitted fabrics used in polymeric matrix composites, providing valuable insights for the design and optimization of advanced textile-based materials.

Statistical approach on the inter-yarn friction behavior of the dual-phase STF/ρ-Aramid impregnated fabrics via factorial design and 3D-RSM.

Shear thickening fluids (STFs) refer to non-Newtonian fluids of the dilatant variety, wherein their viscosity experiences a significant surge with an escalation in the shear rate. In this investigative work, the friction behavior between yarns (pull-out) and absorption of static and kinetic energy during the phenomenon of friction between yarns in STFs are performed by monophase (MP-STF) adding nano SiO2 and dual-phase (MP-STF) adding carbon nanotubes. The ρ-Aramid fabrics were reinforced via the "foulard process", and carried out on MP-STF, and DP-STF/ρ-Aramid-impregnated fabrics to evaluate and compare with the enhancement in interfacial friction properties between yarns. The results showed that DP-STF has more significant than MP-STF and MP-STF in ultimate load, kinetic shear stress, static shear stress, and friction energy level effects. The DP-STF exhibits various friction enhancement mechanisms at the yarn interface, leading to higher absorption of static and kinetic energy related to interfacial friction, as indicated by the results obtained. Furthermore, the DP-STF/ρ-Aramid impregnated fabrics exhibited ultimate load (22.23 ± 0.522 N), kinetic shear stress (35.73 ± 0.850 MPa*100), static shear stress (36.28 ± 0.900 MPa*100), and friction energy level (610.33 ± 0.250). Increased ultimate load (581.7% and 180.7%), kinetic shear stress (621.4% and 174.6%), static shear stress (550.5% and 159.1%), and friction energy level (680.2 and 186.7%) compared to WT-STF and MP-STF, respectively. The current discoveries hold immense potential for various applications in the fields of engineering and smart material technologies. These applications span a multiplicity of industries, including sports products, medical advancements, space technology, as well as protective and shielding products.