Coconut Coir Fiber Research Articles

Fabrication and evaluation of physical and mechanical properties of jute and coconut coir reinforced polymer matrix composite

Natural fiber-reinforced composites are getting progressively predominant because of low-cost and high specific characteristics fiber. These are non-abrasive and biodegradable materials. The composites of natural fibers have unique properties compared with traditional composites of fiber. The main objective of the present study is the utilization of jute and coir fibers if reinforcement material for the fabrication of natural composites. To characterize the composites and develop a better understanding of these composites, the physical and mechanical properties of these composites are evaluated to find hardness, flexural and tensile properties of the jute/coconut coir reinforced polymer matrix composite. It is found that the composite with the composition of 85% jute and 15% coconut provides higher tensile strength because of the higher wt % of the jute fiber. The composite with a composition of 50% jute and 50% coconut coir fiber behaves like semi brittle and ductile as it contains 50/50% jute and coconut fiber. Hence, from this study, it was concluded that composite specimens are fundamentally more durable than pure coir specimens.

Effects of incorporating hybrid fibres on rheological and mechanical properties of fibre reinforced concrete

Hybrid fibre reinforced concrete (HFRC) is one of the most promising construction techniques and repairing material in recent times for the construction industry. Generally, plain concrete has a very low tensile strength and limited resistance to cracking prior to the ultimate load. Fibre hybridization with different types of fibres helps in resisting these cracks in the concrete structures. This research aims to study the rheological and mechanical properties of HFRC made with steel and coconut (coir) fibre in comparison to control concrete. For this purpose, the experimentation was carried out in the laboratory on cylinders and prisms specimens made from conventional (control) concrete and HFRC with 2%, 4%, and 6% of fibre concentration by weight of cement. Besides, the concentration of waste steel fibre was kept at a constant rate of 1% for all of the HFRC mix in this study. The rheological properties of HFRC mixes were obtained by slump test, compacting factor test, ball penetration test, and density test. These properties were then compared to the corresponding properties of control concrete. On the other hand, compressive strength test, splitting tensile test and flexural tests were performed to attain the mechanical properties of HFRC. The test results indicate that the incorporation of hybrid fibres in the concrete decreases the concrete workability compared to the control concrete. The experimental results showed that the compressive strength is improved compared to the control mix whether the splitting and flexural strength shows an 18.36% and 24.87% improvement over the control mix. Finally, the inclusion of optimum content of hybrid fibres that is 2% by weight of cement showed enhancement in the mechanical properties of HFRC in terms of compressive, tensile and flexural strength with compared to control concrete.

Mechanical behaviour on concrete of coconut coir fiber as additive

Fiber is one of the famous waste material in this country and fibre also can be used in order to increase the mechanical properties of concrete. Mechanical properties of concrete will be testing such compression strength and splitting tensile strength. Concrete has low tensile strength due to the brittleness properties. The coconut coir fibre processed by using the fabricated. Then the coconut coir fibre will be a sink in sodium hydroxide for 1 week and in pure water for 2 weeks at room temperature. The authorities that are already going through under treatment gave coconut coir fibre and it had been cut into a size of 25mm to 30mm. Three different ratios used in this research, which is 3%, 4% and 5% of coconut coir fibre as an additive to the concrete. There will be two types of specimens, which are cube size of 100mm x 100mm and cylinder 100mm diameter with 200mm length. All the samples cured in a water tank for 7 and 28days. The rate that had been using for this compression strength and splitting tensile strength follow the British Standard (BS 1881-116:1983). This research outcome is the addition of coconut coir fibre with concrete to increase the compression strength of the cube sample but it has lower strength than normal concrete. Meanwhile, for the splitting tensile strength of this reinforced concrete with coconut coir fibre as an additive has higher strength than normal concrete. The result proved that the addition of fibre will increase the mechanical properties of concrete but at the same time, it will decrease the workability of concrete.

Coconut fiber strength test as a potential to prevent landslides on badlands

Landslide is one of the natural disasters that often occur on natural slopes. Landslides and erosion of slopes mostly happen during the rainy season, resulting in a decrease in soil shear strength. One method of reinforcing slopes is to use coconut fibers which have the features of fibers. Coconut fiber is not only relatively more economical but also can last a long time as a substitute for geosynthetics and even as a place for vegetation growth. The purpose of this study was to determine the tensile strength value of coconut fiber and to identify the shear strength of barren slopes and bush slopes on Takengon-Bintang-Blangkejeren Road, Bur Retak Area, Kampung Mendale, Central Aceh. The tensile strength testing of coconut fiber was carried out by taking into account the diameter size and the number of fibers. The tensile stress testing of coconut coir fibers was done by clamping both sides, with the diameter and the number of fibers varied. The results showed that the tensile strength (tr, MPa) of coconut coir fibers decreased with the increase in diameter and the number of the fibers. In the application, coconut coir fibers placed on a barren slope in one square meter area has the potential to produce additional shear strength.

Effect on the Engineering Properties of Black Cotton Soil using Coconut Coir Fiber

Effect on the Engineering Properties of Black Cotton Soil using Coconut Coir Fiber

Enhancement in fire retardant Properties of Coconut Coir/Polyurethane acoustic composites

ABSTRACT This study aims to enhance the flammability properties of coconut coir and polyurethane resin sound-absorbing material. Sound absorption properties of the material for normal sound incidence were measured using impedance tube setup up based on ISO 10534-2 and ASTM E1050-98 standards whereas fire-retardant tests include limiting oxygen (ASTM D2863 standard) and flame extinguish tests. Results illustrate that coconut coir fiber with polyurethane resin has greater sound absorption characteristics; moreover, it has poor fire-retardant properties. Effect of different synthetic and natural fire retardants like diammonium phosphate (DAP), urea, and aloe vera were investigated. Fire-retardant tests show that material treated with DAP and aloe vera shows excellent self-extinguish properties. Morphological study of the acoustic material has been performed by using scanning electron microscope. Also, acoustic tests show that the effect of fire retardants on sound absorption characteristic of the material was not too deteriorating.

Pengaruh Perendaman Serat Sabut Kelapa Pada Air Batu Kapur Terhadap Wettability

Abstract— Processing of natural fibers as a support material for composite materials has been widely carried out. Some studies use chemicals as a medium for processing fiber while the treatment with natural ingredients has not been done much. This study discusses the ability of the matrix to penetrate the coconut fiber. Coconut fiber that has been cleaned soaked in a solution of limestone water. Immersion is done with a variation of the lime mass percentage of 0; 2.5; 5; 7.5; 10% with 8 hours soaking time. The matrix used is unsaturated polyester yucalac 157 BQTN-EX. Wettability testing by dripping a matrix on coconut fiber. Coconut coir fibers that have been dripped with a matrix in the photo to determine the contact angle. The results of measurements and observations that with variations in mass percentage of 5% limestone with an immersion time of 8 hours have a contact angle of 11O˂Φ˂31O. Immersion with a percentage of 2.5% shows the surface of the fiber has not changed. Immersion of 7.5% and 10% of the surface of the fiber has been damaged, so the matrix can not absorb the coconut fiber to the maximum. Keywords—: coconut fiber; limestone water; contact angle; wettability; SEM.

Energy-Absorption Ability of Embedding Whisker Alumina Fiber into Natural Rubber Composite for Insulation Applications

Natural rubber is an elastomeric material to make rubber products such as toys, households, automobiles, wheel tires, medical and health care products. Natural rubber compound is one kind of polymer matrix composites (PMCs) composed of natural rubber compound acted as a matrix phase and filler acted as a dispersed or reinforcement phase. There are many kinds of fillers used in the PMCs in terms of particles, fibers, and structural sheets. Adding organic/inorganic fibers into the natural rubber composites can increase the mechanical-thermal-physical properties and sound absorption. The natural rubber embedded fiber composite samples were prepared via the vulcanization process at the curing temperature 150°C by the two-roll mill. The amount of whisker alumina (Al2O3), coconut coir and water hyacinth fiber were varied from 0 to 50 phr on 100 phr of natural rubber in a sulfur curing system. The obtained rubber composite samples were of good mechanical properties, low thermal conductivity and good acoustic-sound absorption, suitable for various applications such as automobile, insulation and storage tank. The obtained rubber composite with 10 phr whisker alumina added (NR-Al-10) possessed the tensile strength, Young’s modulus, elongation at break and thermal conductivity values equal to 14.38 ± 1.95 MPa, 545.63 ± 25.67 MPa, 1038.4 ± 41.45% and 0.02527 ± 0.0003 W/m.K, respectively. Furthermore, the sound absorption value of natural rubber composite added 10 phr whisker alumina (NR-Al-10) is equal to 45.09% in the range of 3000‒4000 Hz of acoustic sound level better than the pure natural compound without adding filler.

Performance of lightweight cement board using coconut coir fiber and expanded polystyrene foam waste

Lightweight cement hybrid materials based on expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam waste and coconut coir fiber (CF) have been developed as an effective method for industrial and agricultural wastes management. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of CF and EPS foam as cement replacements at various proportions of EPS foam and CF at various lengths of CF on the properties of cement composites. The mixtures containing partial replacement of cement by 1, 2 and 3% CF with three different CF lengths (1, 2 and 3 cm) and 1, 2 and 3% EPS foam were prepared. The physical and mechanical properties of the specimens were determined after 28 days of hydration. The flexural strength and impact strength of the composites increased with CF content. Meanwhile, the bulk density clearly decreased along with the addition of EPS foam. The cement composites containing 3% CF and 1% EPS as well as 2% CF and 2% EPS at 2 cm fiber length showed acceptable strengths and density for structural lightweight cement. The results indicated that EPS foam and CF can be used as replacements for cement and asbestos in the production of fiber board cement to obtain inexpensive, lightweight and strong product.

Enhanced mechanical performance of cement board composite reinforced with coconut coir fiber and tire rubber waste

This work aimed to study the use of tire rubber waste (TW) and coconut coir fiber (CF) as the recycled material and partial replacement of cement and asbestos to produce cement board composite and obtain optimal replacement level. The amounts of TW and CF were the variables in this experimental study. Various mixtures were produced by partial replacement of cement with TW at different percentages (2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10%) and with CF at different percentages (1, 2 and 4%) using a fiber length of 3 cm. The mechanical and physical properties of the cement boards were evaluated. Both the flexural and impact strengths of the cement boards increased with an increase in the content of TW and CF. The mechanical properties of the cement composites based on the combination of TW and CF were significantly better due to the synergy of TW and CF additions. Moreover, the results also showed that the density decreased with increasing in TW and CF. Therefore, TW and CF can be utilized as a good replacement of cement for cheap, lightweight and eco-friendly reinforced cement boards.

Stabilisation of Red Soil By using Coconut Coir Fibre and Rice Husk Ash

The focus of this report is to study the feasibility of stabilizing the soil by using rice husk ash and coconut coir fibre, thus re-using the waste materials and providing an economical and eco-friendly method of soil stabilization. Soil stabilisation is a system to treat the soil to improve the performance of the soil. The capacity, rice husk ash as stabilizing additive to expansive soil is evaluated for the enhancing engineering properties of expansive soil. The Assessment includes the dedication of the swelling capacity, plastic limit, liquid limit, plasticity index, cohesion & compaction characteristics of the expansive soil. For the soil which lacks enough stability, various stabilization techniques can be adopted. Various percentage of rice husk ash and coconut coir Fibre (5% to 25%). the practices were executed on 5 proportions 5% ,10%,15%, 20% and 25% with the sample. The optimum value of the assessment is found at the proportion of 15% in table 3i.e.the value of unconfined compressive strength is 142kN/m2. Expansive clays are very problematic soils and not suitable for construction. Because of the change in volume when it exposes to water. Usually in rainy season, they absorb water and swells and in summer it shrinks.

Experimental study to measure the sound transmission loss of natural fibers at tonal excitations

In this paper, the acoustical sound absorbing property such as Insertion Loss (IL) or sound transmission loss (STL) of natural fibers is measured experimentally. The STL is measured for tonal acoustic excitations (one-third octave band harmonic frequencies). The tonal acoustic excitations are generated by using acoustic transducer (loudspeaker) and passed through the various natural fiber samples. The primary objective of this work is to measure the absorption properties of available natural fibers so that they may be replaced with glass material or other synthetic fibers (such as glass, carbon, graphite etc.) for various engineering and architectural applications. The natural fibers used in this study are banana fibers, coconut coir fibers, hemp fibers, jute fibers and kenaf fibers. The diameter and the thickness of the natural fiber specimens are 0.160 m and 0.03 m respectively. It is observed from this experimental study that the sound absorption by the kenaf fibers is more as compared to other natural fibers at tonal one third-octave band harmonic acoustic excitation frequencies.

Experimental study to measure the transmission loss of double panel natural fibers

In this paper, the transmission loss (TL) of the natural fiber materials will be measured experimentally at one third octave band harmonic and broadband frequencies. The different natural fibers used in this study are jute fibers, kenaf fibers, banana fibers, coconut coir fibers, and hemp fibers. An acoustic soundproof cabin has been fabricated to measure the transmission loss of natural fiber material. A one-dimensional duct is placed inside the soundproof cabin. Inside the duct there is a specimen of natural fiber materials. A loudspeaker is used to generate acoustic harmonic and white noise disturbances at various frequencies. The generated acoustic sounds then passed through the double panel natural fiber specimens. A sound pressure level (SPL) meter is used to measure the noise levels inside the duct. In this paper, a double panel natural fiber material specimen is proposed for testing. The double panel specimens are a combination of two natural fiber materials. In the double panel, the two panels are made from same or different natural fibers and also air is enclosed between them. The main objective of this paper is to measure the transmission loss and equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure level of fiber-air-fiber type specimens so that in future these types of combinations can be used for various engineering and other applications. It is observed that the combination of jute-air-kenaf is absorbing more sound as compared to jute-air-banana fibers and hemp-air-coconut coir fibers.

Comparative Studies on Strength of Concrete by Partial Replacement of Cement with Marble Dust and Coconut Fibre

The cost of building project primarily on the quantity of concrete used during its construction. Cement being the only component manufactured in factories is costly and adds to the cost of a building project. Research work is going on throughout the globe for partial replacement of cement with suitable agriculture waste product such as rice husk ash , fly ash emanating from thermal power plants with the burning of coal, marble powder or coconut coir fiber without hampering the workability as well as strength of concrete. A large amount of coconut fibers is available in coastal region and marble powder exists in Rajasthan .The Feasibility studies on effect of using an admixture of coconut fibers and marble powder on strength of M30 concrete have been conducted . All the instructions, parameters, formulas have been followed according to the bureau of Indian standard. To conduct the test , aggregate consisting of coarse aggregate 20mm and fine sand, 10mm aggregate, marble dust powder, coconut fiber and fresh water have been used. Mix sample of M30 in different variations of ingredients as below have been examined. Four trail mix by varying the percentage of OPC 43 grade of cement, coconut fiber and marble dust powder were prepared and examine for their average compressive strength by the standardized method. It was concluded that M30 mix prepared by 94% of cement with 4% replacement by marble dust powder and adding 2% coconut fiber gives compressive strength of 38.300N/mm2.

The Effect of Immersion Time of Coconut Fiber in Limestone Water on Tensile Strength and Surface Morphology

This study aims to identify the effect of immersion of coconut fiber in limestone water on surface morphology and tensile strength, including chemical reactions during immersion. Coconut coir fibers were immersed in a solution of limestone water for 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 hours, with a mass fraction of limestone of 5%, then dried for 1 hour. Coconut fiber was characterized by a single fiber tensile testing machine, Scanning Electron Microscope, X-ray diffractometer, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The results showed that the percentage of 5% with 8 hours of immersion in the fiber had a cleaner surface morphology with a tensile strength of 234.62 MPa. Therefore, as an alternative to improving the characteristics of a single thread, immersion in limestone water needs to be applied.

Role of coconut coir fiber in concrete

Now a days the cost of construction increases along with gradual effect on the environment and it has led the researchers to the acceptance of natural fibers such as coconut fibers for improving the strength in concrete. Coconut fibers that are abundantly accessible at the test site making it relatively applicable as a reinforcing material in concrete. Concrete with different fiber contents was evaluated with conventional concrete or prestressed concrete and different strengths parameters such as bending, compression and tensile strength of coconut fiber varies with a proportions (0.6% and 1.2%) of total weight of the volume of concrete coconut fiber is carried out. The effect of fiber shape on strength property studied by testing with coconut fiber mesh from pre-defined dimension. The optimum percentage of both treated fiber yarn and raw fiber nets was found with trial and error process and maximum percentage of super plasticizer needed to both ordinary cement as well as coconut fibers in the concrete for basic operability was also determined.

UTILIZATION OF BAMBOO FIBER AND COCONUT COIR IN THE PRODUCTION OF CEMENT--BONDED BOARD

Each year, the amount of agricultural wastes is growing faster than the rate of urbanization in the country. People from different parts of the country and the world are mostly unaware on how to utilize these wastes and recycle them into useful and sustainable materials. One of the approaches in reusing these agricultural wastes is to utilize them as a substitute for wood in the fabrication of panel products. Cement-- bonded boards, for instance, is one of those restoration inventions of the 20th century which can be an alternative to timber products in constructing internal and external walls, partitions, ceilings, roof sheathing, to name a few. This research aimed to contribute to these small but growing empirical literatures and studies on particleboard technology by to utilizing agricultural wastes such as bamboo and coconut coir fibers in the production of cement--bonded particleboards. Using an experimental research design, the researchers produced three experimental samples with three different fiber -- cement ratios. These samples underwent several tests that determined their physical and mechanical properties. Based on the results, it was found out that the sample boards with 3.2% fiber obtained the highest strength of 5.31 MPa, which was higher than the standard strength for particle boards. It also passed the nail head pull through test and obtained an optimum result of 223.88 kg. Furthermore, it also exhibited 1.03% thickness swelling and 8.58% water absorption which was way better compared to commercially available particle boards.

Utilization of Waste Materials in Soil Stabilization

Soil strength plays a vital role in the construction field. The main purpose of this project is to stabilize red soil with the help of various waste materials. The waste materials used are rice husk ash, lime, ground granulated blast furnace slag and coconut coir fiber. These waste materials have been mixed with the soil in the ratio 10%, 20% and 30% and subjected to various tests Specific Gravity Test, Sieve Analysis Test, Plasticity Index Test, Standard Proctor Test, Unconfined Compression test and California Bearing ratio test. A comparative increase in soil strength was found with all the waste materials. Thus, ultimately the soil is stabilized with the help of these waste materials.

Mechanical Behaviour of Coconut Coir Fibre Reinforced Unsaturated Polyester Composite

With low cost, simplicity of manufacturing and the abundant availability of natural fibers have tempted the researchers to try the available fibres and to investigate their possibility of using it for the purpose of reinforcement. Since Coir fiber is renewable, eco-friendly, less weight and has good mechanical performance it is considered as one of the best alternative to Carbon fiber. In this present work the ability of coir fibre in improving the mechanical characteristic has been studied. Four specimens having different weight fractions (5%,10%,15% &20%) of coir fiber with polyester matrix is prepared and their corresponding mechanical properties has been determined. In this work the fiber is treated with Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) for attaining good fiber separation and hand- lay-up practice have been employed for composite manufacturing. To find the mechanical characteristics of composite the following tests were performed on the prepared specimens like tensile test, Flexure and hardness test. Experimental result reveals that the composite with 15% coir fiber have a maximum tensile strength of 26.5Mpa From the Experimental results it is evident that the increase in coir fiber weight fraction results in improving the mechanical properties of the composite.

Processing and Evaluation of Mechanical Properties of Coconut Coir and Rice Husk Reinforced Natural Hybrid Composites

Over the last decades composite materials, plastics and ceramics have been the dominant emerging materials. The volume and number of applications of composite materials have grown steadily, penetrating and conquering new markets relentlessly. So everybody is concentrating on new materials which will be strong enough, less weight, recyclable with reduced cost. Hence all the researchers are concentrated on the composite materials which have all the above properties. The present work is concentrated on coconut coir fiber and Rice husk reinforced polyester hybrid composites. The composites specimen was fabricated with various weight percentages of natural fibers namely coconut coir (20%, 15%, 10%, and 5%) and Rice husk (15%, 10%, and 5%) combined with CamElect 3321 resin using hand lay-up method. So to obtain new composite materials different proportions of coconut coir and Rice husk is added and the mechanical properties such as Tensile strength, Flexural Strength and Impact test were carried out for the samples cut from the fabricated composites specimen to the dimensions as per ASTM standard. With the increasing percentage of the reinforcements the performance of the material is improving. The tensile strength increases with the increase in coir reinforcement percentage and flexural strength increases with the increasing in percentage of the rice husk and the impact strength of the material gets boost with equal proportional percentage of coconut coir and rice husk reinforcement.