Comparative Analysis of Mechanical Properties of Banana Peel-Based Biocomposites Through ASTM Standardized Mechanical Testing

This study develops biocomposites from pulverized banana peel, gelling agent (gelatin), glycerin, and glacial acetic acid as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-derived synthetic textile materials. A controlled experimental design was imple-mented to evaluate the effect of varying glycerin concentrations (+20% and +40%) and different gelatin-to-water ratios (30/70%, 40/60 %) on the mechanical properties of the material. The samples were molded into Type IV specimens according to ASTM D638 and subjected to tensile testing using a universal testing machine (UTM). Experimental results revealed that the formulation with an additional 20 % glycerin, a 30 % gelatin to 70 % water ratio, and reinforcement with pulverized banana achieved optimized mechanical properties: Young's modulus of 7.84 Nzmm', maximum tensile stress of 2.22 Nzmm-, and elongation at break of 28.35 %. Validation through finite element simulation in ANSYS Mechanical showed acceptable correlation with experimental data, with experimental stresses of 2.22 MPa compared to 2.43 MPa in the simulation.