Abstract
Environmental awareness today motivates researchers worldwide regarding the utilization of a natural fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite that is a cost-effective option to synthetic fiber-reinforced composites. With low cost and high specific mechanical properties, natural fibers represent a good renewable, sustainable, and biodegradable alternative to the most common synthetic reinforcement, i.e., glass fiber. Despite the interest and environmental appeal of natural fibers, their use is limited to automobile and mechanical engineering applications, with no utilization as structural strengthening material, although Carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) and Glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) strengthening are very predominant. Also, there is no database for the durability aspects of these FRP materials from a civil engineering perspective. This research study is aimed at evaluating the mechanical characteristics in terms of flexural strength and tensile strength of natural sisal fabric-reinforced polymer composite (SFRP) and natural jute fabric-reinforced polymer composite (JFRP) and the comparison with that of artificial FRPs of carbon CFRP and glass GFRP. Samples of several SFRP, JFRP, CFRP, and GFRP were evaluated for their flexural strength and tensile strength. The work also aimed at assessing the most optimum treatment method among alkali treatment, benzyl chloride treatment, and heat treatment for fabric surface modification of sisal and jute fibers to improve its mechanical properties. It was also very important for a thorough assessment pertaining to the different effects of the varying environments on the mechanical properties of FRP composites specially catering to civil infrastructural environmental issues to be performed, and therefore it was. Experimental studies were performed to study the effects of normal water and thermal aging, and also to evaluate the fire flow characteristics, which play a very important role in building design. All the samples for water absorption and thermal aging were also mechanically characterized to estimate the effects of the degrading environments on their tensile strength properties. All these results were compared between natural FRPs and artificial FRPs, and an elaborate result analysis was also performed.
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