Surbhi Kore

• Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering
• University of Tennessee at Knoxville

Bio-based fillers (e.g., poplar, switchgrass) have been used to reinforce polymers because of their low cost and sustainable nature. Bio-based polymers are typically produced from natural or renewable resources such as crops and herbaceous fibers. Biocomposites are commonly used in packaging, automotive, and construction applications. The filler ty...

2,2,4,4-Tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol (TMCD) is a diol monomer for terephthalic acid (TPA) class of copolyesters that can increase the glass transition temperature and mechanical strength in comparison to conventional TPA polyesters. TMCD-modified poly (1,4-cyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate) (PCTT) has been used to manufacture consumer produ...

The Apitong wood species has long been the most popular choice for transportation, such as in trailer decking and shipping container floors. However, Apitong is depleting due to its excessive usage. Bamboo fiber provides as an alternative due to its low density (608–780 kg/m3) and lightweight attributes. This study explores 1) development and prope...

In polymer composites, the fiber–matrix interface is primarily influenced by the surface treatment of the fibers and polymer morphology. Previous studies have investigated the effect of surface treatment of carbon fiber on the mechanical properties of the resulting composites. However, very few studies have explored the chemical structural modifica...

The end-of-life vehicles (ELV) regulations motivate hybrid materials usage in automotive industries to optimize properties at reduced cost and increase eco-friendly designs. This research explores hybrid compositions of natural bamboo fiber and synthetic carbon fiber. The goal of hybridization was to synergistically benefit from each constituent– i...

This work considers a unique wide tow (450k filaments) form of low-cost carbon fiber intended for non-aerospace applications. TCF is currently produced in epoxy and urethane sizing, and there is a need to understand its resulting composite properties. In this study, the interfacial adhesion of sized TCF reinforced in thermoset urethane (TSU) compos...

In this work, we consider low-cost carbon fiber produced with a textile-grade precursor. The objective of the study is to investigate textile-grade carbon-fiber-reinforced-polypropylene composites (TCF-PP) from compounded pellets for mechanical and thermal characterization. Four sets of pellets with 1%, 5%, 10%, and 15% reinforcement were manufactu...

Epoxy-sized textile-grade polyacrylonitrile (PAN) carbon fiber (TCF) with 450 K filaments (CFTF, ORNL) was reinforced in the polycarbonate (PC) matrix using a compression molding technique. The epoxy sizing effect on the surface, thermal, and mechanical properties of TCF−PC was investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform in...

This work considers a unique wide tow (450k filaments) form of low-cost carbon fiber intended for non-aerospace applications. TCF is currently produced in epoxy and urethane sizing, and there is a need to understand its resulting composite properties. In this study, the interfacial adhesion of sized TCF reinforced in ther-moset urethane (TSU) compo...

Until recently, glass fiber composites (GFRP) were the preferred choice to prepare wind turbine blades due to their low cost compared to their counterpart carbon fiber composites (CFRP). However, to harvest the maximum wind energy, ever larger wind turbine blades are being manufactured. To support such a large structure carbon fiber composites CFRP...

Polymer composites are used in numerous industries due to their high specific strength and high specific stiffness. Composites have markedly different properties than both the reinforcement and the matrix. Of the several factors that govern the final properties of the composite, the interface is an important factor that influences the stress transf...