Influence of treatment and fly ash fillers on the mechanical and tribological properties of banana fiber epoxy composites: experimental and ANN-RSM modeling

This research examines the impact of chemical treatment and banana fly ash fillers on the mechanical, tribological, and water absorption characteristics of banana fiber-reinforced epoxy composites. Alkaline treatment enhanced fiber-matrix adhesion, markedly improving mechanical characteristics. The optimal performance occurred at 10% fly ash content, yielding a tensile strength of 40.25 MPa, a flexural strength of 77.23 MPa, and an impact strength of 44.82 kJ/m2. Water absorption studies indicated a decline in moisture uptake, reducing from 40% in untreated composites to 25% in composites containing 15% fly ash, due to enhanced bonding and fewer voids. Tribological experiments demonstrated a decrease in Specific Wear Rate (SWR) and Coefficient of Friction (COF) with elevated fly ash concentration, signifying improved wear resistance. Predictive modeling with Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) showed enhanced accuracy (mean error: 0.9584% for SWR, 0.50265% for COF). RSM optimization identified the optimal input parameters for minimizing SWR and COF: a sliding velocity of 5.14491 m/s, a sliding distance of 652.05 m, and a fly ash content of 12.6236%, yielding minimum SWR and COF values of 15.63 x 10- 5 mm3/Nm and 0.242241, respectively. SEM analysis confirmed that treated fibers and fly ash fillers minimized wear and crack propagation while improving fracture toughness. The results underscore the promise of banana fly ash-filled composites for automotive, aerospace, and structural applications that necessitate improved mechanical, tribological, and moisture-resistant characteristics.