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Organic fertilizers have been used since the dawn of mankind to improve soil fertility and promote crop growth. However, the process of preparing organic fertilizers for use in agricultural activities is a labour-intensive and time-consuming procedure. Thus, in order to reduce labour costs and improve the efficiency of organic fertilizer preparation, automated organic fertilizer mixers were developed. For this research work, an improved organic fertilizer mixer based on the Internet of Things (IoT) technology capable of monitoring the status of fertilizer production remotely and providing updates and alerts to workers was developed. The aim of this work was to further reduce labour workload and costs, thus increasing efficiency of the organic fertilizer mixing process. In order to accommodate the IoT monitoring system, several modifications and design changes were carried out on the prototype of an automated organic fertilizer mixer. Tests conducted on the prototype unit showed that it performs as required. The IoT monitoring system successfully captures and uploads information on the weight of agricultural waste mixture in the storage drum to the IoT platform. This information can then be used to alert workers on when to add more agricultural waste material to the mixture or remove the processed organic fertilizer. Furthermore, an overall operational cost comparison of different organic fertilizer production methods showed that the automated organic fertilizer prototype provides operational cost savings of over 5 times when compared to current automated systems. Future work includes further automation to the agricultural waste filling and organic fertilizer removal process.

The agriculture industry is one that is highly resource- and labour-intensive. As such, farmers are increasingly turning to technology and automation to address this issue. However, agricultural robots are far too complicated, slow, and costly to be made publicly available. As a result, the agriculture sector still lags behind in integrating modern technologies. This research paper details the development of a low-cost agricultural robot for spraying fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture fields as well as for general crop monitoring. The prototype system is a two-wheeled robot that consists of a mobile base, a spraying mechanism, a wireless controller for controlling the robot movement, and a camera for crop health and growth monitoring as well as detecting the presence of pests in the agriculture field. Tests conducted on the prototype system show that while the productivity of the robot in terms of crop coverage is slightly lower than a human worker, the labour cost savings afforded by the agricultural robot prototype is much greater as it functions completely in an autonomous mode and only requires the operator to control the robot when placing it at the start of the crop path. Furthermore, the prototype system also provides greater resource savings and reduction in the contamination of underground water sources due to leeching process, thus achieving precision agriculture goals. Lastly, the excellent battery life of the prototype system ensures that there will be no increase in the operation times and reduction in the efficiency of the fertilizer and pesticide spraying process due to the recharging times when replacing human workers. Future recommendations include making the agricultural robot fully autonomous, using either a rail- or line-following system, to further reduce the labour requirements and costs.

Agricultural drones are Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) applied to farming in order to help increase crop production and improve farm efficiency. Crop-dusting drones are able to spray powdered fertilizer, pesticide, or insecticide on crops from the air, resulting in reduced costs and increased efficiency compared to traditional methods. The objective of this research work was to improve and enhance the performance of the crop-dusting process using agricultural drones. This research paper details the development of an improved storage container design and stabilized release mechanism for crop-dusting. To stabilise the release of payload when the drone is moving or swaying in the air, a gimbal mechanism was added to the release mechanism in which weights were used to produce constant downward force which balances the mechanism. Tests conducted on the prototype system showed that it performs as required. The stabilization tests show an improvement in accuracy of granule spread when using the stabilized release mechanism developed in this research work. As such, the wastage of fertilizers and pesticides can be reduced. The prototype system was also found to much more capable at carrying heavier loads for a longer period of time compared to current designs. Thus, using the prototype system developed for this research work, the size of storage container as well as the weight of fertilizer or pesticide granule payloads can be increased.

Reports show that 40% of global carbon emissions come from energy consumed in buildings, so organizations around the world continuously seek ways to reduce their buildings energy consumption. Research identifies three main approaches; Retrofitting, the use of Low Carbon Buildings (LCB), and implementing Energy Management Systems (EMS). However, other factors could affect the success of these approaches; climate and local weather, building types, social acceptance, and implementation. This paper reviews and evaluates 50 reports on these implementations, and uses that evaluation to identify the most effective approach to reduce buildings carbon footprint. In this evaluation, authors used the reported success rate (in reducing carbon footprint) as key parameter, they then cross-checked this with origin of reports (country, climate region), building type, and implementation thoroughness. This allowed the authors to identify not only the best approach, but also understand the impact of these other factors on the reported success rate. Retrofitting was implemented the most (58%) but with varying success (2% to 49% reductions), this variation is attributed to the current state of the buildings and the level/method of retrofitting applied. LCB showed the highest reductions as energy saving measures were preplanned before building construction, this however limits LCB to new and planned buildings. Even though EMS showed results comparable to Retrofitting and required a fraction of the costs/effort, only 14% implemented it, this is an indication of the level of social awareness in the region on the need to reduce carbon footprint and its impact on the world’s climate.

This paper investigated the effect of stacking sequence on the low velocity impact behavior of glass and jute fiber reinforced hybrid composites. The hand layup method is used to fabricate the composites with various stacking sequences. The low velocity impact analysis was carried out at various impact energies, namely 5 J, 10 J and 15 J. Dye penetrant inspection (liquid penetrate inspection) was performed to analyses the damage area in the composites. Compression after impact (CAI) testing was conducted to study the compression strength of the composites after the impact. The study revealed that the jute fiber composites exhibited better results in terms of energy absorption, but the damage area of the composites was higher, compared to the other specimens fabricated. Meanwhile, hybrid composite S7 presented high energy absorption and the minimum damage area. To conclude, the hybrid composite S7 appeared to have the optimum formulation, showing better results in energy absorption, with lower damage and higher compression strength.

Stacking sequences of composite laminates have significant effects not only on the properties of composites but also on the types of damage occurred on the composites structure. The current study investigated the low velocity impact properties and the damage progression of kenaf core sandwich laminates in different layering sequence of fibre laminates. There were three different sequences of kenaf (K) and glass (G) fibre reinforced unsaturated polyester composites, that is, G/K/G hybrid, G/K/K hybrid and K/K/K composites, which were fabricated using hand lay-up method. The layer of gelcoat provided a protective layer and finishing to the composite. The composites experienced the low velocity impact at three different energy levels which were 5 J, 10 J and 15 J. Through the research, a diamond shape matrix cracking was exhibited on the gelcoat surface. The main failure mode that occurred on the specimen during the low velocity impact was matrix cracking, fibre breakage, delamination and fibre pulled-out. From the results, G/K/G hybrid resisted the highest impact energy which is up to 10 J and G/K/K hybrid resisted up to 5 J. Meanwhile K/K/K composite failed to resist any of designated energy. Therefore, it can be suggested that G/K/G hybrid composites had shown good performance in low velocity impact properties to be used as the bus bumper material.

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the physical and thermal properties of the three-dimensional (3D) printing natural composite filament, as well as the tensile behaviour of the printed composites to get an insight of its possibility to be used as an ankle–foot orthosis (AFO) material. Design/methodology/approach Physical test that was conducted includes scanning electron microscopy analysis, thermogravimetric/differential scanning calorimetry analysis as well as the effect of fibre load after extrusion on the filament morphology. Tensile test was conducted with different amounts of fibre loads (0, 3, 5 and 7 Wt.%) on the printed specimens. Findings There is an increment of strength as the fibre load is increased to 3 Wt.%; however, it decreases significantly as it is increased to 5 and 7 Wt.% because of the presence of voids. It also shows that the extrusion temperature severely affects the structure of the filaments, which will then affect the strength of the printed composites. Based on the results, it is possible to use kenaf/polylactic acid (PLA) filament to print out AFO as long as the filament production and printing process are being controlled properly. Originality/value The unique aspect of this paper is the investigation of kenaf/PLA filament as a material for 3D printing, as well as its material consideration for AFO manufacturing. This paper also studies the effect of extrusion temperature on the morphological structure of the filament and its effect on the tensile properties of the printed kenaf/PLA specimen.

Since their discovery in 1991, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have found widespread use in various industries, from aerospace to energy, due to their excellent mechanical, thermal, electrical, and tribological properties. Their lightweight nature, small size, incredible tensile strength, and conductivity have made them very popular as reinforcements in metals, polymers, and even finding employment in additive manufacturing. In this review, we provide a rundown of these structures and discuss in detail the numerous methods used to process CNT-reinforced materials, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), ball milling, hot pressing, and selective laser melting. The limitations of manufacturing and processing these composites are also discussed, strengthened by the support of different published works. To understand the changes in the properties of these composites in terms of varying parameters such as temperature, CNT length, diameter, etc., an extensive summary is provided, describing several techniques to perform experimental analysis and giving plausible reasons for attributing these changes. Consequently, we explore the specific areas of applications for these CNT-reinforced composites in fields such as aerospace, energy, biomedical, and automobile, and how they can be further processed and changed to allow for more affordable and efficient solutions in the future.

The development of hybrid composite materials using honeycomb structure, typically a lightweight material, is commonly used in aircraft structures. However, the use of honeycomb with natural or synthetic composite remains unexplored in the literature. Therefore, this study aims to partially replace synthetic fiber, woven glass with a natural fiber of woven kenaf and honeycomb core. An experimental analysis investigated the mechanical strength of three different compositions using glass, kenaf, and honeycomb materials for structural application purposes. The properties of the sample were evaluated through the tensile, flexural, and impact strength, and the morphological damage was observed using scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the composition of GKGKG laminate composite is the highest in tensile strength (147.64 MPa) and modulus (3.9 GPa), while the GKHKG composite was good in flexural strength (219.03 MPa) and modulus (11.47 GPa). In terms of impact properties, there was a slight difference in energy level (20–30 J) by GKGKG and GKHKG, showing the optimal hybrid configuration of composite for the newly developed material. In conclusion, the application of the new hybrid of GKHKG composite is promising in semi-structural and structural light-weight applications.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had dramatic effects on the socio-economic and well beings of Malaysians. The objective of the study is to find the effects of the pandemic on university students both on the technical side, such as the sufficiency of infrastructure and the internet to support online teaching and learning (T&L), as well as on the social side, such as stress level and focus on the study. The nationwide study on the effect of the pandemic on Malaysian varsities students was conducted at the end of 2020. There are many important issues uncovered in this study ranging from the technical side, such as internet-ready programs, socio-economic side, to the psychological perspectives. It shall provide invaluable insights to the related ministries while preparing appropriate reactions during the recovery period. The survey revealed that almost 74% of students highlighted that internet coverage and connectivity was the main issue in online T&L. Although statistics show that 90% of Malaysian households have access to the internet, 49% of students reported that their internet connections were poor. The effects of the pandemic are far-reaching, students belonging to the most vulnerable category find themselves in the most non-conducive place to learn, and they are disturbed by siblings. The socio-economics impacts brought about by the pandemic cause ripple effects onto their families. The government distribution of relief aids has lessened the burden of many people, including students; nevertheless, much improvement could be made, especially in the internet facility and coverage.

As the world focuses more on clean and green Earth, wind energy plays a significant role. Wind energy is a renewable source of energy that can cope with the ongoing global fossil fuel crisis. The wind energy converters like wind turbines have been studied a lot in terms of design and performance. The current work includes analyzing the output effects of a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) with a modified blade configuration at specific wind speeds. A numerical investigation is carried out using two different numerical software on the chosen airfoil used in blade design validated with the analysis carried out in open-loop wind tunnels. The study is divided into two phases: first, the selected airfoil is tested experimentally and using CFD, and then the findings are compared to those of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign wind tunnel tests at low Reynolds numbers. The second phase includes the numerical analysis based on the blade element momentum method and non-linear lifting line simulations of modified blade design at high Reynolds number. The numerical results of rotor performance analysis have been compared to existing experimental results. The findings of all numerical investigations agree with those of the experiments. An optimal value of the power coefficient is obtained at a particular tip speed ratio close to the desired value for large wind turbines. For maximum power, this study investigates the optimum pitch angle. The work demonstrated the improved HAWT rotor blade design to produce better aerodynamic lift and thus improve performance.

Bamboo (Arundinaria clarkei) short fibers were treated with 6% conc. NaoH solution for five different durations viz. 3 h, 6 h, 9 h, 12 h and 24 h. Effect on physical properties like diameter and density were studied. Fibers were examined using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to study the effect of alkali treatment on its surface characteristics. Single fiber tensile tests were conducted to assess the tensile strength of the fibers. Comparative study of the SEM micrographs indicated removal of outer layer with the surface irregularities becoming more prominent with increasing duration. The fiber surface was scanned using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) to quantify the increase in surface roughness with alkali treatment. Tests results showed positive effect on the strength till 6 h beyond which the tensile strength was observed to reduce. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy results indicated reduction in content of holocellulose along with hemicellulose, lignin and cellulose which explains the variation in tensile strength with increasing duration of treatment.

Material used for helmet technology has transformed moderately little since the introduction of aramids, which ballistic helmets still uses woven aramids with a thermoset resin system. Most widely used strengthening material for ballistic helmet is Kevlar fibers which comprise outstanding impact resistance and high strength to weight ratio. For Kevlar reinforcement and resin shaping process, composite materials uses molding process in the fabrication methods. The most vital fabrication method is the hand lay-up process. Hand lay-up process normally consists of laying a dry fabric layer by hand onto a mold to shape into desirable design and shape. After the lay-up process is done, resin is then applied to the dry plies. There are several accessible curing methods and the most commonly used method is to let the product to cure at room temperature. This paper presents the fabrication process of ballistic helmet using a hand lay-up fabrication process with a core and cavity mold. This paper also describes the helmet mold design, materials and processing methods.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of fiber length and loading on physico-mechanical and flammability properties of Cyrtostachys renda (CR) fiber-reinforced phenolic composites. Waste based Cyrtostachys renda (CR) fiber reinforced phenolic resin derived from cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL), bio-composite has been studied. Composites with alkali treated CR fiber length in the ranges of 1.18–0.6, 0.6–0.3 and less than 0.3 mm in 20 wt% and 40 wt% based on weight of phenolic resin were prepared by hot compression. Flammability, water absorption, tensile/flexural/impact tests were carried out on the composites and also characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Composite containing 40 wt% fiber of length less than 0.3 mm has the highest tensile and flexural strengths of 34.27 MPa and 65 MPa respectively. It has been found that water absorption and thickness swelling increases as weight % of fiber increases. For the Underwriters Laboratories (UL 94), all the neat phenolic and addition with CR fiber exhibited NC and H-B classifications for vertical and horizontal respectively, however Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI), of neat phenolic dropped from 29.33 to 26 and 25 for 20 wt% and 40 wt% respectively. Morphology of the tensile fractured laminates revealed that micro pores in fibers are filled with phenolic resin, hence increases the interfacial bonding between fiber and the matrix. The research findings provision that CR fiber reinforced phenolic composites is potential to be utilized as green and biodegradable composites for interior components of automotive and aviation industry.

This study aims to investigate the effect of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treatment on the strength and stiffness of Cyrtostachys renda (CR) leaf stalk fibers, which could potentially serve as reinforce...

In this study, chitosan/sisal/glass fiber (CS/SF/GF) reinforced hybrid polymer composite for femur bone fracture plate was developed. The CS/SF/GF hybrid composite possesses exclusive sandwich assembly and includes epoxy/GF/CS as the peripheral layers and epoxy/CS/SF as the inner layers. The composite arrangement be similar to the human bone assembly spongy interior cancellous medium and stiff peripheral cortical. The objective of this investigation was to determine the fatigue properties of CS/SF/GF hybrid sandwich composites, because cyclical loading is the foremost loads experienced by a femur plate during normal day to day activities such as walking and running. Tensile and fatigue properties were studied as per ASTM (D3039 and D3479) standards. Morphological behaviour of fractured fatigue samples was considered using scanning electron microscope. The biomimetic activity of CS/SF/GF composites was examined using biomimetic mineralization techniques with the help of simulated body fluid (SBF). The tensile study results proved that the A6 hybrid CS/SF/CTS composites impart higher ultimate tensile strength of 146 MPa and tensile modulus of 6.814 GPa compared to other combinations. The fatigue results revealed that the fatigue life of A5 hybrid CS/SF/GF composites withstand more than 1 million cycles (1.20 × 106) compared to other combinations. The presence of bone like apatite layer (Ca, Sr, Pb, Si, Ba, K, Pd and CI) from Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) onto CS/SF/GF layer were confirmed by XRD, SEM-EDAX and FT-IR. Further, the calcium/phosphate (Ca/P) ratio was found to be approximately 1.67 which is needed for the biological apatite layer formation, this proved the formation of apatite layer on the CS/SF/GF composite surface. The experimental test results proved that GF/SF/CTS/EP hybrid composite can be used for orthopaedic bone fracture plate applications.

Advanced materials were used and are being implemented in structural, mechanical, and high-end applications. Contemporary materials are used and being implemented in structural, mechanical, and high-end applications. Composites have several major capabilities, some of them being able to resist fatigue, corrosion-resistance, and production of lightweight components with almost no compromise to the reliability, etc. Nanocomposites are a branch of materials within composites, known for their greater mechanical properties than regular composite materials. The use of nanocomposites in the aerospace industry currently faces a research gap, mainly identifying the future scope for application. Most successes in the aerospace industry are because of the use of suitable nanocomposites. This review article highlights the various nanocomposite materials and their properties, manufacturing methods, and their application, with key emphasis on exploiting their advanced and immense mechanical properties in the aerospace industry. Aerospace structures have used around 120,000 materials; herein, nanocomposites such as MgB2, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/montmorillonite nanocomposites are discussed, and these highlight properties such as mechanical strength, durability, flame retardancy, chemical resistance, and thermal stability in the aerospace application for lightweight spacecraft structures, coatings against the harsh climate of the space environment, and development of microelectronic subsystems.

Hybridization of composites is one of the many ways to optimize cost, manufacturing process and strength required for a particular application. This demands a need for knowledge about the best possible ways to deal with the dissimilar materials in the composite system. Very little light has been shed about the stacking sequence implemented while dealing with non-woven natural fiber mats and 3D woven glass fiber fabric as reinforcement and effects of different models on the strength of composite – which has been dealt very vividly in this research work. Two types of hybrid stacking sequence were implemented using non-woven bamboo fiber mat and 3D E-glass fiber fabric, namely H1, which has two bamboo mats at the centre with a glass fabric on either side as extreme layers, and H2, which has 3 glass fabric and 2 bamboo mat placed stacked alternatively with glass fabric being as extreme layers on either side again. For comparative purposes, 4 layers each of E-glass fabric and bamboo mat composites were also made. Tensile, flexural and ILSS tests were conducted on all four of these samples and results showed that lying between the consistent superior strength displayed by pure glass composite and inferior strength of pure bamboo composite, the H1 sample stacking sequence performed better than the H2 sample. The major reason for the failure of the hybrid composites was observed to be due to delamination at dissimilar laminae boundary which were more in H2 samples than H1 composite. Scanning Electron Microscopy was employed to understand the modes of failure.

Currently, the world is getting more poisonous due to the toxic contaminated and wastewater release from the industries activities. The designers should analyse the effect to the environmental and human health, prior starting any manufacturing and fabricating process. This technique able to optimize the company profit and reduced unnecessary cost by predict any consequences and do correction step before the problem emerge for every action taken. Therefore, this paper aim to provide the evidence that the selection of material and manufacturing process used to fabricate ACB has minimum impact on the environment and human health. A few methods can be used to calculate the environmental damage assessment such as network, compare and uncertainty analysis. In this study, analyse calculation method selected to predict the environmental impact. The results for the damage to human health analysis only contribute 0.0125 DALY, analysis results for the hazardous elements such as methane, trichlorofluoromethane and Chlorofluorocarbons produced during the fabrication process only 1.32 x 10-9 DALY. Besides, the major damage elements to ecosystem quality results only contribute 1.97 x 10-4 species.yr. Therefore, the remarkable results show that the process and material selection to fabricate ACB are very low which was below than 0.1 DALY. Moreover, damage assessment for the terrestrial ecotoxicity of pulforming process using oil palm natural/glass fibre reinforced polyurethane composite only contributed 1.13 × 10−10 (species.year). Consequently, the process could not damage the human health and indicates that the process is environmentally friendly and safe for the ecosystem.

This paper studies the influence of glass fibre addition and benzoylation treatment on the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of sugar palm composites. Glass fibre (GF) was added in various fibre ratios: 30%, 50% and 70%, related to the amount of sugar palm fibre (SPF). The results obtained revealed that the EP/30TSPF/70 G F composites exhibited the best tensile properties by increasing the tensile strength by 55.7%. For thermal analysis, the results show that EP/TSPF/GF composites had the most improvement in the initial and final degradation temperature. It can be concluded that, benzoylation treatment help improves the adhesion of the SPF to the GF and to the epoxy matrix. Glass fibre addition helps enhanced the characteristics of the SPF composites as the GF overcome the weakness of SPF. This hybrid composites show promising characteristics to be applied for non-structural application as example food tray table.

The effect of reinforcing natural fiber in the form of woven fabric on dynamic mechanical and thermogravimetric analysis was investigated. Further the influence of water molecule interaction on dynamic mechanical analysis of natural fiber composite were studied. Results revealed that basket type and intra-ply hybridized composites enhances the dynamic mechanical properties of the composites due to the enhancement in modulus by the reinforcement, whereas herringbone composites enhance the loss factor of the composites. It was noticed that, irrespective of the weaving architecture and intra-ply hybridization, composite samples immersed in the water for 45 days affects the storage and loss modulus of the composite and to enhance the loss factor. Thermogravimetric analysis carried out on composites revealed that, compared to weaving architecture, the presence of cellulose and hemicellulose in the fiber cell wall influences the thermal properties of the composites.

In this paper, a review of natural fibers composites used in protective armors for ballistic applications like bulletproof vests is presented. It seeks to compile the results and establish natural ...

3-D E-glass fabric reinforced epoxy composites at 6 mm thickness were fabricated for various orientations of the binder yarn viz. 0°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90° respectively. Tensile, flexural, interlaminar shear stress tests were conducted to ascertain the influence of binder yarn orientation on the mechanical properties of the composites. The composites with 0° binder yarn orientation showed the best strength followed by 90° whilst the others showed highly depleted traits in comparison. Shear stress induced at the interface of each lamina was seen as the major reason for drop in the strength. A secondary study was carried out to explore the effect of compression factor during fabrication on the mechanical properties of the composites. Laminates with varying thickness namely, 4 mm, 5 mm and 7 mm but, with same number of plies of 3D E-glass fabric at 0° orientation were fabricated. The test results were compared with the results of 6 mm composites from the primary study. The results showed that, compression factor affected the mechanical properties of the composites and had a direct relation with increasing compression factor up to a certain value beyond which a drop in properties was seen. Composites pressed to a thickness of 5 mm showed the best properties. Drop in properties was attributed to close packing of reinforcement and crushing of fibres leading to inefficient stress transfer. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to understand the modes of failure. The major failure modes observed were delamination, matrix cracking and debonding. Based on the results obtained, these composites can be seen as a material system for applications like ballistic armours, structural renovations and automobile components.

Coconut shell is an agricultural residue, usually disposed of through open burning. Toxic gases have been emitted from the open burning phase and can therefore be detrimental to human health and the environment. Thus, to reduce the risk of pollution, researchers have developed a new technology by using agro-wastes to produce biocomposites. Coconut shell powder (CSP) is a solid nonfood waste, which can be potentially exploited to reduce the usage of synthetic fiber. Coconut shell is also low-cost and low weight material that can be used to reduce the production cost of and fuel consumption for transportation. This review has focused on the research carried out on the CSP loaded into different types of matrices, highlighting the fundamental, mechanical, physical, and thermal properties of CSP composites. This article also provides critical review of the development for CSP composite and the summary of the results presented in the literature, focusing in the properties of CSP with polymeric matrices and the application design for economical products.

Cyrtostachys renda (CR) and Ptychosperma macarthurii (PM) fibers, as new cellulosic fibers were studied. The objective of this research is to evaluate the fibers from stem, leaf stalk, and frond of...

In this study, the hybrid nanofiller of montmorillonite (MMT) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) were incorporated into shape memory epoxy (SMEP) at different loadings. The fillers were dispersed in the SMEP resin by sonication. Tensile and flexural properties were analyzed at room temperature (RT) and high temperature (HT). Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was used to analyze the microstructure of fractured samples. The tensile results revealed that at RT, the hybrid filler nanocomposite exhibits a ductile behavior meanwhile at HT, the nanocomposite exhibits a brittle behavior. The sample with the hybrid filler loading of 3 wt% MMT and 1.0 wt% MWCNT produced maximum performance with an increase of 32.5% in the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and 20.9% in Young’s modulus at RT. The trends of the UTS and modulus obtained in the HT tensile test were almost similar to the RT tensile test despite yielding lower value. The RT flexural test revealed an increasing flexural strength as the filler loading increased with a maximum of 176% increase for hybrid filler of 3 wt% MMT and 1.0 wt% MWCNT. This trend was also observed for the flexural strength at HT. From FE-SEM, it was observed that the SMEP nanocomposite containing 3 wt% MMT and 1.0 wt% MWCNT was well dispersed and interact with each other, producing a synergetic reinforcement towards the performance. This study demonstrates the tensile and flexural reinforcement effect of MMT and MWCNT hybrid nanofiller. Findings from this study can be utilized to select the optimum loading for mechanical requirements in various applications.

This research studied the effects of silane treatment at different soaking time: 1, 3, 5 h, on the properties of new variant Yankee’s Pineapple AC6 leaf fiber (PALF). The properties of untreated and treated PALF was evaluated through several testing. The Si element was found on all treated fiber’s surface through Energy-Dispersive X-ray, while significant peaks were clearly seen for these treated fibers at 1317.81 and 1100 cm−1 by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. X-Ray Diffractor analyses showed small changes on the crystallinity of all treated fiber disregards the treatment and soaking time as compared to untreated fiber. Improvement on the degradation temperature of all treated fibers to 360 °C from 340 °C was seen from the thermogravimetric analysis. Maximum surface roughness and tensile strength were found for treated fibers at 3 h soaking time by atomic force microscope and single fiber testing respectively. The analyses suggested the potential Yankee’s PALF to be used in composites for various industrial applications.

This study aims to explore the potential of the NaOH-treated Cytostachys renda fibre to be reinforced in the polymeric composites. The NaOH concentrations were prepared as 1, 3, and 5 wt% for soaking time of 1 and 2 h. The treated fibres were characterized in terms of density, chemical composition, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffractometry (XRD), and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results revealed that the density is improved with an increase in the concentration and soaking time. NaOH treatment has reduced the amorphous hemicellulose and lignin content. On the other hand, the improved crystallinity index by 6% was observed for fibre treated at 3% NaOH for 1 h, along with the enhancement of cellulose content as much as 0.27%. From the FTIR analysis, it was observed that the presence of C H stretching vibration from the ether in the treated fibre for 1 h soaking time would form a strong interaction with the polymeric matrix. The TGA results showed that fibre treated at 3% NaOH for 1 h exhibited the highest thermal stability compared to the untreated and other treated fibres. Therefore, it can be concluded that the fibre treated with 3% of NaOH for 1 h soaking time could act as a potential reinforcement in the polymeric composites for light weight applications.

Profitability in production farming depends on making correct and timely operational decisions based on current conditions and historical data. Precision agriculture is a comprehensive system designed to optimize agricultural production by carefully tailoring soil and crop management to correspond to the unique conditions found in each field while maintaining environmental quality. This research paper details the development of a portable and wireless sensor network system to remotely monitor the environmental parameters in an agriculture field and provide field managers with alerts and information regarding current conditions while saving the data in a database for future reference. The data acquisition unit consisting of sensors and microcontroller captures the environmental parameter data such as temperature, humidity, light intensity, and soil moisture content. By utilizing Internet of Things technology, the information captured by the sensors is uploaded wirelessly to the cloud server and can be viewed by users from anywhere in the world via an Internet-enabled device. The rugged and water-resistant enclosure ensures that the system can be used in outdoor agriculture fields, while a solar power supply eliminates cabling needs and reduces maintenance of sensor nodes. Tests conducted on the system show that it can successfully capture and display environmental parameter data to users.

The paper presents the investigation of the effect of alkaline treatment of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) on physical and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) viscoelastic properties of kenaf fibre filled natural rubber (NR)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites. The treated kenaf fiber, NR and TPU were weighed and proportioned according to the required compositions and were blended using hot mixed Brabender machine. The polymer composites were then fabricated using the hot press to form a sample board. The sample was cut and prepared and water absorption, density, thickness swelling and DMA tests were performed. As far as physical properties are concerned, composites with the highest NR amount of shows the best results, which indicates good fiber bonding adhesion. The polymer composites with the highest amount of TPU shows the highest damping properties at high temperature.

The aim of this paper is to study the properties of the newly Malaysian pineapple variety, namely, Yankee pineapple’s leaf fibers (PALF) biofillers in composite applications. The fibers were extrac...