Thermal Studies on Palm Fibre and Rice Husk Ash Ash-Reinforced Epoxy Resin Composite

Thermal characterization of natural fiber filler composites (NFFCs) is investigated in this work to identify a novel material for intended usage in the automotive sector. Polymer composite exhibits lower thermal properties and low strength to high-temperature conditions. To overcome this, NFFCs are developed in this work considering epoxy resin as the matrix, date palm fibre (DPF) (15 wt.%) as the primary reinforcement phase and different proportions of rice husk ash (RHA) (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 wt.%). The hand layup method is adopted for fabricating the NFFCs with subsequent solidification for 24 h. These manufactured NFFCs are specified by their thermal conductivity, melt flow index (MFI), heat deflection temperature (HDT), and coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE). The microscopic images depict a homogeneous mixing of DPF and RHA in the matrix material which improves the thermal stability of the NFFCs. Observation shows that 6 wt.% addition of RHA provides better thermal stability of the NFFCs as it is a thermal insulator. Thermal conductivity lowers with the addition of RHA along with reduced CLTE, and MFI. HDT increases with an increase in filler content.