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Amit Kumar Kundu,
Nitesh Singh Rajput,
Manoj Kumar Gupta,
Shweta Kulshreshtha,
Naveen Kumar Yadav,
- Research Scholar, Amity School of Engineering & Technology, Amity University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
- Assistant Professor, Amity School of Engineering & Technology, Amity University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
- Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar, Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India
- Associate Professor, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Abstract
Wall plastering spray equipment requires a combination of low mass, dimensional stability, abrasion resistance, chemical compatibility with cementitious mortar, and comfortable operator interaction. The original assembly was primarily developed as a metallic mechanical system; however, a polymer-focused material architecture can reduce non-load-bearing mass while retaining a safe metallic pressure path. This study therefore presents a structure–property-guided polymer–metal hybrid design in which the pressure housing and nozzle insert remain metallic, whereas the hopper, handle shell, and grip are assigned polypropylene, short-glass-fibre-reinforced polyamide 6 (PA6-GF30), and a thermoplastic elastomer, respectively. A literature-calibrated Halpin–Tsai model with an orientation-efficiency correction was used to quantify the elastic modulus of PA6 containing 0, 15, and 30 wt% glass fibre. The resulting properties were coupled with component-level bending and thin-shell calculations and with the previously developed finite-element model of the retained aluminium load path. The orientation-corrected modulus increased from 2.40 GPa for neat PA6 to 5.19 GPa for PA6-GF30, reducing the calculated handle-tip deflection under a 120 N design load from 0.904 to 0.418 mm. The local handle stress was 15.76 MPa and the corresponding factor of safety was 5.08 for the selected PA6-GF30 grade. The polypropylene hopper exhibited a maximum hydrostatic hoop stress of only 0.034 MPa under the nominal mortar head. The retained aluminium body showed a maximum total deformation of 0.7564 mm, a peak equivalent stress of 22.74 MPa, and a factor of safety greater than 3.5. Replacing the nominal metallic hopper and handle shell reduced the calculated mass of these components from approximately 0.47 to 0.083 kg. Moisture- and temperature-dependent sensitivity analysis showed that the PA6-GF30 handle remained above a factor of safety of 4.3 in the considered hot–wet condition. The study demonstrates that functional material partitioning and polymer micromechanics can provide a practical route for lightweight, manufacturable, and ergonomically improved construction tools.
Keywords: PA6-GF30; short-glass-fibre thermoplastic; polymer–metal hybrid; structure–property relationship; Halpin–Tsai model; wall plastering; finite-element analysis
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Journal of Polymer & Composites
| Volume | 14 | |
| 05 | ||
| Received | 14/07/2026 | |
| Accepted | 06/08/2026 | |
| Published | 26/08/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 43 Days |