Utilizing waste heat to drive thermodynamic systems is imperative for improving energy efficiency, thereby improving sustainability. A combined cooling and power systems (CCP) utilizes heat from a temperature source to deliver both power and cooling. However, CCP systems utilizing LNG cold energy suffers from low second law efficiency due to significant temperature differences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeveloping biocomposites by hybridization, which is the combination of two or more materials, can be a potential solution for improving material recyclability and sustainability. This study focuses on creating a hybrid biocomposite reinforced with cotton-blended pineapple leaf fibre (PALF) fabric (174 GSM) and jute fibre fabric (265 GSM) which are thrown away by textile factories. The mechanical, moisture absorption, and vibration characteristics of four stacking sequences of hybrid composites and two unhybridized composites were analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbon fibre reinforced polymer composites have high mechanical properties that make them exemplary engineered materials to carry loads and stresses. Coupling fibre and matrix together require good understanding of not only fibre morphology but also matrix rheology. One way of having a strongly coupled fibre and matrix interface is to size the reinforcing fibres by means of micro- or nanocarbon materials coating on the fibre surface.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPassive vibration control using polymer composites has been extensively investigated by the engineering community. In this paper, a new kind of vibration dampening polymer composite was developed where oriented nylon 6 fibres were used as the reinforcement, and 3D printed unoriented nylon 6 was used as the matrix material. The shape of the reinforcing fibres was modified to a coiled structure which transformed the fibres into a smart thermoresponsive actuator.
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