Tribo-mechanical characterization and optimization of green flexible composites

The use of natural fibers as a substitute for synthetic fibers as reinforcement in polymer-based composites is finding prominence nowadays. The present paper deals with the comparative study of biodegradable flexible composites fabricated using jute fabric and rubber with different configurations – namely, jute/rubber/jute (JRJ), jute/rubber/rubber/jute (JRRJ) and jute/rubber/jute/rubber/jute (JRJRJ) – using their tribo-mechanical properties as the attributes and making use of a multi-attribute decision making (MADM) approach – namely, technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (Topsis). The tensile strength, tear strength, interlaminar shear strength and specific wear rate of the proposed composites are chosen as the attributes for comparison using Topsis. The results show that JRJRJ is the best configuration among the considered configurations of flexible composites, providing the overall best tribo-mechanical properties, and the fractography study shows that the proposed flexible composites undergo failure mainly due to matrix tearing in the case of tensile and tear tests as opposed to matrix cracking in the case of stiff composites. Also, the wear study reveals that rubber exhibits better resistance to wear. This study shows the efficient application of the statistically based MADM tool Topsis for material selection.