SRINIVAS UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGIEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

Name : Vishwas C Shetty

Designation: Asst. Professor
Deprtment : Mechanical Engineering
Research work description

1. A study on mechanical strength analysis of aluminium alloy cylinder reinforced with single
steel rod
As there is a great demand in the present scenario for the most effective and reliable machine
elements, it is seen that full effort is made to make it 100% reliable but in practicality it is least possible. So
in this project effort is made to present a new technique to improve the mechanical properties, to make the
material safe fail and cost effective. So in this regard to check the properties, we have studied the fatigue,
bending, shear and tension characteristics of the material.
Failures in the machines are mainly due to fatigue, creep, corrosion etc. There are many ways to
increase the mechanical properties of the material like work hardening, heat treatment, increasing the
diameter, solid solution strengthening and alloying etc. But here we have improved the same by inserting a
stronger material inside a weaker material. Some of the most prominent way of failure is through fatigue,
bending, tension etc. Here we will see some of the important reasons of failure and the approach used in this
project.
The proposed work in this reserach mainly concentrates on using a indeterminate shaft for a
particular application where soft material like alumium has to be used in a corrosive environment but also
should possess sufficent strength. For example high power elecrical cables etc.
Future work
 As shown in the figure (with 4 rods inside) ,the number of reinforcements inside the rod to be varied
, here care has to be taken to give a proper drill which is possible through long series drill bit.
  Instead of reinforcing the stronger material by doing a shrink fit , it would be more effective if
casting could be done, as done by Vijaya Agarwal where he has reinforced many wires in
aluminium, here we can insert many stronger rods
Vijaya Agarwala, K.G. Satyanarayana, R.C. Agarwala, “Studies on the development of aluminium
alloy–mild steel reinforced composite”, Materials Science and Engineering A270 (1999) 210–21.
 Also varying the shape on the reinforced material, so as to make it like a skeleton for the outer
material, as it could be seen in concrete pillars.

2. A study on mechanical properties of hybrid banana fibre reinforced wood powder composites
Characteristic fiber composites are these days being utilized as a part of different designing
applications to build the quality and to advance the weight and the cost of the item. Natural Fibre
Composites are progressively utilized to replace wood and its applications in various fields. Aim of the
project is to find the best combination of Natural Fibre and Resin percentage by preparing various
composites and carrying out mechanical tests on them.

NFC’s are these days being utilized as a part of different designing applications to expand the quality
and to improve the weight and the cost of the item. Different natural fibres are available naturally for
example; coir, sisal, jute, coir and banana are utilized as reinforcing materials.

In this project banana fibre will be acting as reinforcement and Epoxy resin for the composite. The
frame mould fabricated to make composite material is comprised of mild steel in which the fibres and matrix
(resin) are distributed in required volume fractions. The banana fiber percentage is varied for different
samples of composites. The variety in mechanical properties are considered and examined. The composite
samples will be tested for tensile and flexural test in a Universal Testing Machine and the results are plotted
and compared in order to differentiate the strength of each specimen.

Project work consists of preparing the composite samples in different ratios of banana fibre, epoxy
and teak wood powder and tested for mechanical properties like tensile and bending. Four sample specimens
were prepared for different weight ratios (A, B, C & D) & tested. In both tensile test and bending test of the
composite sample, weight fraction ratio of 80:10:10 has showed highest strength and stiffness. A hybrid
composite has been fabricated successfully by reinforcing low cost, light weight, eco-friendly Wood powder
and Banana fibre and using an epoxy resin.

Future work

1. To prepare a hybrid composite plate of treated banana and coir fibres and testing it for various
mechanical and acoustic properties.