Abstract
In recent years, the application of natural fiber reinforced polymer composite is rapidly increasing in different parts of the world due to its light weight, low cost, availability and feasibility of easy fabrication. This article focuses on the investigation of the physical and mechanical properties of natural fibers such as human hair, Sterculia foetida, delonix regia and caryotta obtusa fibers in terms of the analysis of the suitability of reinforcement material in composites. Untreated fibers were compared with NaOH treated fibers. Compositional analysis from Fourier Transform Infra-red Spectroscopy, tensile properties such as tensile strength, tensile modulus and percentage elongation of both untreated and treated fibers are discussed in detail. The properties of these natural fibers were compared with those of other natural fibers. The scope of addition of human hair, sterculia foetida, and delonix regia and caryotta obtusa fibers as reinforcement material in polymer composites were reported.
Highlights
Design of smart materials encompasses the selection of advanced materials that play a major role in the fabrication of new products and their performance
The results showed, when considering untreated fibers the human hair was seen obtaining higher tensile strength (155–200 MPa) than other natural fibers
The result obtained from present work was higher than that of the flax fiber result. Natural fibers such as human hair, sterculia foetida, delonix regia and caryotta obtusa fibers were characterized by performing a single fiber tensile test and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis
Summary
Design of smart materials encompasses the selection of advanced materials that play a major role in the fabrication of new products and their performance. Composite materials offer definite advantages over metallic and nonmetallic parts due to high strength to weight ratio, light weight and high resistance to corrosion. These materials are widely used in industrial applications. Reinforcement material used in composite may be either synthetic or natural fibers. Show good mechanical properties but the application is limited due to the growth of natural fiber reinforced polymer composite (NFRPC) during the past five years [1]. Automotive and aerospace industries have been vigorously manufacturing the various natural fiber reinforced parts for their interior components [4].
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