Mathematical Analysis on Matlab Environment for Experimental Study of the Thermal Properties of Epoxy Reinforced Composite

Over the years, before the invention of software, some experiments especially direct base experiments had minimum limits to conduct compared to now, due to some possible issues surrounding the process, such as high cost, hazard, and time waste, even some experiments are impossible to run due to complex data involved, which then gave rise to the invention of software that aims in making some of these experiments flexible and safe. This research involved thermal experimentation, mathematical analyses in a MATLAB environment, and data comparison of the experiment and mathematical analysis results of an epoxy-reinforced composite. Five samples were developed (E, S1, S2, S3, and S4) using epoxy reinforced with coconut shell fiber, silicon carbide (SiC), and aluminum oxide (Al2O3) in different proportions and compositions, applying hand-layup and compression molding. Thermal conductivity, diffusivity, degradation, and specific heat capacity tests were conducted using suitable apparatus and ASTM standard methods. The results indicated the minimum thermal properties of polymer material seen in sample ‘E’, due to no reinforced composite. Polymer material in sample E was improved in sample S1, where coconut shell fiber as municipal solid waste was used as reinforcement, possessing satisfactory thermal strength. Natural synthetic fibers (Al2O3 and SiC) used in this research indicated maximum thermal strength seen from samples S2 - S4, due to ceramic properties and close bond microstructural formation of synthetic fibers. 2020 Commercial License Model (CLM) MATLAB software was used to develop mathematical analyses from the experimental data, which when compared, the mathematical analysis results indicated 95% confident bounds on the root mean square error (RMSE) result having the same graphical trend as the experimental result.