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Go to Editorial ManagerPolymer composites reinforced with clay have garnered substantial academic and industrial interest owing to their environmental and mechanical benefits. This research focuses on the effectiveness of metakaolin-unsaturated polyester composites for sequestering Ni2+ ions from Ni(NO3)2 aqueous solutions and on their tribological performance. The composite materials were synthesized with varying metakaolin concentrations (1, 1.5, 3, and 5 wt.%) to evaluate the influence of clay content on nickel ion recovery and wear resistance. The experimental results show a direct correlation between the reinforcement percentage and the functional properties of the composites. The highest value (61.415%) of Ni+2 recovery efficiency was achieved at a metakaolin concentration of 5 wt.%, which is due to the increased density of active adsorption sites on the composite surface. Conversely, composites with lower metakaolin content exhibited diminished recovery rates due to a limited number of available sites for ion adsorption. Wear resistance results show the same trend, wherein the composite with 5 wt.% metakaolin exhibited maximum wear resistance, characterized by minimal material loss at the applied loads (5, 10, 15, and 20 N). Furthermore, Shore-D hardness measurements indicated a gradual enhancement in the material's hardness with increasing metakaolin content, which confirms the reinforcing role of the clay in enhancing the mechanical properties. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) micrographs showed the formation of wear grooves aligned with the sliding direction during wear testing. In addition, agglomerates and surface deposits were formed that are correlated with the adsorption of metal ions onto the composite surface. These results prove that the incorporation of metakaolin as a reinforcing agent confers dual advantages: it significantly enhances the adsorptive capacity for Ni+2 ion recovery and improves the tribological and mechanical properties of the composite. This positions the material for use in environmental remediation, especially wastewater treatment, and in engineering applications requiring enhanced durability.
In this work it had been focused on the possibility of replacement of steel spring in suspension system by fiber reinforced polymer composite that is responsible for light weight of spring which leads to reduces the weight of vehicle and improve fuel efficiency. This type of spring used in motor cycles, light weight vehicle. The design will be simulated by ANSYS workbench. Then, E-Glass fiber has been used to fabricate helical compression spring of 40% fiber volume fraction of glass. with polyester resin. The deflection of glass reinforced composite spring is more than steel spring but within permissible limit. weight of composite spring is reduced by 57% than of steel.
Recently, considering polymer composite in manufacturing of mechanical parts can be caused a fatigue failure due to the very long time of exposure to cyclic loading and may at environmental temperatures higher than their glass transition temperature; therefore, in this paper, a comprehensive investigation for bending fatigue behavior at room and elevated temperatures equal to 60 °C, 70°C, and 80 °C will be done. Rotating bending test machine was manufactured for this purpose supplied with a connected furnace to perform fatigue tests at elevated temperatures. The obtained results appeared that the increase in applied stress and temperature caused a clear reduction in fatigue life; also the addition of carbon nanotubes enhanced the fatigue life at different temperatures by 183%, 205%, 218%, and 240%, respectively while the addition of short carbon fibers improved fatigue life by 324%, 351%, 387%, and 415%, respectively. As well as, Polyamide 6,6/carbon fiber composite appeared fatigue limit at temperatures equal to 20°C and 60°C and stresses approximately equal to 55 MPa and 38 MPa respectively.