Incorporation Of Natural Fibers Research Articles

On the interlaminar mode II fracture toughness evaluation of glass Fiber/Epoxy composites with cotton and kenaf natural fibers utilizing acoustic emission features

Considering the widespread use of polymer composites due to their diverse engineering properties, the incorporation of natural fibers is a novel approach to enhance their environmental properties and acquire additional engineering benefits. Applying natural fibers in composites can offer a biocompatible solution to plastic and polymer composite waste issues. Studying the overall properties of composites made with these fibers is a novel area of research. Investigating effective methods for detecting defects and measuring mechanical properties, such as integrity, resilience to failure, and fracture toughness, is particularly crucial. In the current study, the effect of adding cotton and kenaf natural fibers on the resistance to delamination, which is the most common type of failure in laminated composites, is investigated in mode Ⅱ of loading. Specimens of woven glass/epoxy composites with natural fibers were fabricated using the hand lay-up method and end notched three-point bending test was performed. Using the methods provided in the JIS K 7086 standard, the moment of initiation of delamination is determined in the samples. The results demonstrate that only using the mechanical methods provided in the mentioned standard is not sufficient to determine the initiation of delamination. Hence, the acoustic emission can be employed for an easier and more accurate determination of the initiation of delamination. According to the obtained results, cotton and kenaf fibers show a significant increase in the interlaminar fracture toughness of woven glass/epoxy composites. Using cotton fibers shows 212% − 249% and employing kenaf fibers shows 144% − 281% increase in interlaminar fracture toughness respectively. Among the different acoustic emission data analytics, the cumulative energy method shows the lowest mean percentage deviation error of %2.59 among other examined diagnosing techniques.

Quantitative and deep learning based fourier transform infrared radiation and tensile characteristics study on chemically treated hibiscus rosa-sinensis plant fibers

Incorporation of natural fibers with Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRPs) is a promising avenue for sustainable and high-performance composite materials. The fibers, derived from outer bark portion of plants, offer significant merits such as renewability, low cost, and eco-friendly. Unique mechanical and physical properties, and widespread availability of Hibiscus Rosa-sinensis have made them subject of intense research interest. The present study investigated the chemically treatment of HRS Fibers using Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), Potassium Permanganate (KMnO4), and Acetic Acid (CH3COOH) bat varying weight percentages (3, 4, 5 Wt%) and solutionizing times (1, 2, 3 h) based on Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array. Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) analysis revealed significant changes in O–H, C–H stretching, C=O moiety, aromatic ring, and C–O/C–C stretching. Potassium Permanganate treatment at 4 Wt% and 3 h of solutionizing time has yielded the best results. Multi-Layer Perceptron Artificial Neural Network (MLP-ANN) has been successfully applied to accurately predict the output physical characteristics of chemically treated HRS fibers using experimental data. Further Single Fiber Pull-out test results in Potassium Permanganate at 4 Wt% and 3 h solutionizing time as best sample with highest Tensile Strength and Modulus. This research underscores the effectiveness of the chemical treatment process in enhancing the properties of HRS plant fibers for potential composite applications.

CEMENT MORTARS WITH BOMBYX MORI SILK FIBERS WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF SURFACE TREATMENTS

The incorporation of natural fibers in cement mortars is an important area of research and development within the construction industry, as it seeks sustainable and ecological alternatives to traditional fiber reinforcements. This paper investigated the effects of different treatments on “Bombyx mori” silk fibers on the mechanical strength and durability of cement mortars, at the same time their architectural possibilities were analyzed. The studied fibers were cut to 20 mm in length, then treated with liquid calcium hydroxide, linseed oil and natural rubber latex. Finally, they were placed in the cement matrix in layers and arranged lengthwise. The mechanical performance and durability of the material were studied through the physical properties of water absorption by immersion, the mechanical properties of compressive, flexural, and impact strength at 7, 14, and 28 days of curing were also studied. The study was complemented with a simulation of alkaline environment of cement using a solution based on sodium hydroxide, measuring the degree of accelerated degradability of the fibers through mass loss. Overall, the results demonstrated that the composite material with fibers treated with natural latex and linseed oil exhibited higher flexural, compressive and impact strength and lower water absorption.

Enhancing interfacial interaction and crystallization in polylactic acid-based biocomposites via synergistic effect of wood fiber and self-assembly nucleating agent

Incorporation of natural fibers into polylactic acid (PLA) provides a feasible pathway to improve the performance of PLA with a low environmental impact. However, the insufficient interfacial adhesion between fiber and matrix limits the reinforcement efficiency of fiber and final mechanical properties of the biocomposites. Herein we reported an efficient method to simultaneously enhance interfacial interaction, crystallization and mechanical performance of PLA-based biocomposites via combination of wood fiber (WF) and a self-assembly nucleating agent (TMC-300). The interactions between WF and TMC-300 and its influence on PLA, including interfacial crystal morphology, crystallization behavior, and mechanical performance were studied. The results showed that TMC-300 could self-assemble into dendritic-like structure on WF surface driven by hydrogen bonding, inducing the epitaxial crystallization of PLA. This unique interfacial crystallization integrated PLA matrix with WF, resulting in better interfacial adhesion. Under the optimal TMC-300 content (0.5 wt%), the flexural strength and notched impact strength of PLA composites increased by 10 % and 69 % compared with neat PLA, respectively. Additionally, TMC-300 and WF synergistically functioned as effective nucleating agents, which significantly accelerated the crystallization rate and improved the crystallinity of PLA. This work provides a new insight into the enhancement of interfacial bonding in natural fiber/PLA biocomposites.

Mechanical Properties of Abaca-Glass Fiber Composites Fabricated by Vacuum-Assisted Resin Transfer Method.

The application of natural fiber-reinforced composites is gaining interest in the automotive, aerospace, construction, and marine fields due to its advantages of being environmentally friendly and lightweight, having a low cost, and having a lower energy consumption during production. The incorporation of natural fibers with glass fiber hybrid composites may lead to some engineering and industrial applications. In this study, abaca/glass fiber composites were prepared using the vacuum-assisted resin transfer method (VARTM). The effect of different lamination stacking sequences of abaca–glass fibers on the tensile, flexural, and impact properties was evaluated. The morphological failure behavior of the fractured-tensile property was evaluated by 3D X-ray Computed Tomography and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results of mechanical properties were mainly dependent on the volume fraction of abaca fibers, glass fibers, and the arrangement of stacking sequences in the laminates. The higher volume fraction of abaca fiber resulted in a decrease in mechanical properties causing fiber fracture, resin cracking, and fiber pullout due to poor bonding between the fibers and the matrix. The addition of glass woven roving in the composites increased the mechanical properties despite the occurrence of severe delamination between the abaca–strand mat glass fiber.

Incorporation of Natural Fibres in Rendering Mortars for the Durability of Walls

One of the main functions of renders, together with the overall aesthetic appearance of the building, is the protection of the walls against external aggressive actions, such as water, salts solutions, erosion, and mechanical impacts. However, some anomalies of renders may drastically hinder their protection ability. In fact, cracking, high water permeability, and loss of adherence to the substrate of renders limit their barrier effect and favour the exposure of the substrate to external actions. The incorporation of fibres in mortars is commonly pointed out to reduce their cracking susceptibility, due to the probable enhancement in tensile strength and ductility of the composite. The use of lime in substitution of the part of the cement binder is seen as a method to reduce the modulus of elasticity and therefore enhance the resistance to cracking due to drying shrinkage. Therefore, this study investigates the wall protection-related properties of natural fibre-reinforced renders with cement-lime as a binary binder at 1:1:6 volumetric ratio. With this purpose, wool, coir, and flax fibres are used at 20% by total mortar volume and the water behaviour, cracking susceptibility, and adherence to the substrate of the mortars are assessed. Specifically, the water absorption by capillarity, drying rates, permeability to water under pressure, adherence strength, and shrinkage are evaluated. In order to evaluate the renders’ durability and therefore the durability of the protection to the walls, an artificial accelerated ageing test is performed based on heating-freezing and humidification-freezing cycles. The results indicate that the fibres’ addition reduced the shrinkage and modulus of elasticity of the mortars, which suggests lower susceptibility to cracking. The addition of fibres in mortars seemed to slightly affect their water performance and only at early ages. From the results, it was concluded that the adherence strength is not affected by the fibres’ incorporation. The fibres seem also to reduce the impacts of the ageing cycles on the mortar and the improvements provided by the fibres’ addition to the mortars’ performance remained after ageing when compared to the mortars without fibres, thus being a potential alternative to increase their durability. These aspects are particularly important for buildings, since they can extend their service life and promote their sustainability.

Investigation on mechanical properties and water absorbency of jute glass reinforced epoxy composite

Fiber reinforced composite materials are attractive because of their properties such as high toughness, water resistance and can be adapted to meet the specific needs of a variety of applications. Incorporation of natural fibers can reduce the dependency over synthetic fibers. In this work, Jute glass fiber reinforced composites are fabricated by simple hand lay-up technique using epoxy resin as a matrix and various mechanical properties like tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength and also the water absorption properties of the composite specimens are evaluated and analysed thoroughly. It is observed that incorporation of optimum amount of jute fibre with glass fibre improved mechanical properties can be achieved. Finally cost of composites are analysed and compared.

Comparative Analysis of Carbon, Ecological, and Water Footprints of Polypropylene-Based Composites Filled with Cotton, Jute and Kenaf Fibers.

Composites containing natural fibers are considered environmentally friendly materials which is related to the reduced use of fossil fuels and the emission of carbon dioxide compared to petroleum-based polymers. Nevertheless, a complete evaluation of their environmental impact requires a broader view. This paper presents a carbon, ecological, and water footprints assessment of polypropylene-based composites filled with cotton, jute, and kenaf fibers based on a standardized European pallet (EUR-pallet) case study. Obtained results were compared with unmodified polypropylene and composite with glass fibers. Incorporation of 30 wt% of cotton, jute, and kenaf fibers into a polypropylene matrix reduced its carbon footprint by 3%, 18%, and 18%, respectively. Regarding the ecological footprint, an 8.2% and 9.4% reduction for jute and kenaf fibers were noted, while for cotton fibers, its value increased by 52%. For these footprints, the use of jute and kenaf fibers was more beneficial than glass fibers. Nevertheless, the application of natural fibers caused a 286%, 758%, and 891% drastic increase of water footprint of the final product, which was mainly affected by cultivation and irrigation of crops. Therefore, in a holistic view, the incorporation of natural fibers into the polypropylene matrix definitely cannot be impartially considered as an environmentally friendly solution.

Quantifying the Tensile Properties of Hevea brasiliensis – Silicone Biocomposite using Neo – Hookean Model

Incorporation of natural fibers into composites have been continuously researched in moving towards a greener environment. As environmental issues such as climate change and global warming is becoming severe, green technology is one of the ways to reduce it. Hevea brasiliensis or commonly called rubber tree produced a lot of sawdust during the conversion of the raw material into product. The sawdust is known as an agricultural waste which has no economic value. Therefore, this study for the first time attempts to utilize the Hevea brasiliensis sawdust by incorporating it with silicone rubber in the making of a new biocomposite material. The samples were prepared in two weight compositions, 0 wt% and 16 wt% in accordance to ASTM D412. Tensile properties of biocomposite was then determined using 3382 Universal Testing Machine 100kN (Instron, U.S.A., 2008). Neo Hookean hyperelastic model was employed where the material constant, C1 values were obtained. The graph plotted shows that the hyperelastic model used can mimic the deformation behavior of silicone biocomposites. The material constants are observed to increase as Hevea brasiliensis fiber are introduced into it. Hence, it can be concluded that pure silicone rubber has higher tensile strength compared to 16 wt% hevea brasiliensis – silicone biocomposite and the addition of fiber increase the stiffness properties of material produced.

An Investigation on Wear and Dynamic Mechanical behavior of Jute/Hemp/Flax Reinforced Composites and Its Hybrids for Tribological Applications

Bio-materials have ignited a quest among research fraternity to be used in every possible field of applications like automobile, sports, medical, civil and textile industry. Application spectrum of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites is spreading globally in every field of engineering having structural and tribological applications. The present work investigates the tribological performance of regionally available inexpensive plant based natural fiber reinforced polymer composites. In this work, three different types of natural fibers (jute, hemp, and flax) were reinforced with epoxy matrix to fabricate natural fiber reinforced polymer composites (NFRP) and their hybrid composites (jute/hemp/Epoxy, hemp/flax/epoxy and jute/ hemp/flax/epoxy) using hand-layup technique. Tribological performance of the developed bio-composites were evaluated in terms of frictional characteristics and sliding wear under dry contact condition at different process parameters, such as applied load (10-50 N), sliding speed (1-5 m/s) and sliding distance (1000-2000 m). Experimental results of wear analysis confirmed that incorporation of natural fibers into epoxy polymer matrix significantly improved the wear behavior of the developed NFRP composites in comparison to neat epoxy polymer. Among all the developed composites, jute/epoxy composite achieved the highest coefficient of friction, frictional force and specific wear rate. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) was also analyzed to evaluate the viscoelastic behavior of the developed composites. The surface morphology of samples after wear test was examined by scanning electron microscopy to investigate and propose the possible wear mechanism of the developed composites.

Application of Natural Fiber Composites in Engineering Industries: A Comparative Study

Today’s technological innovations call for continual improvement in the field of material science to substitute the heavy structures with lightweight materials without compromising the strength. For this purpose composite materials (combination of two or more materials) are developed. The incorporation of natural fibers as reinforcing agent in both thermoset and thermoplastic polymer composites has gained increasing applications both in many areas of engineering and technology. A variety of natural fibers based polymer composite materials have been developed using modified synthetic strategies to extend its application from automotive to biomedical fields. The eco friendliness and reduction in wear and tear aspects in machineries with the use of natural fiber composites also has been captured in this paper. This paper is an earnest compilation of the data regarding a variety of natural fibers, their physical and mechanical properties, their resilience and strength. Considerable effort has been put in bringing the data on various natural fiber composites in one place by cutting out the details from various sources so as to make it as a ready reckoner for any researcher for future research in this area.

The influence of two crop by-products on the hygrothermal properties of earth plasters

The incorporation of natural fibres in earth construction elements is a common practice that is found both in traditional and in contemporary building systems. The positive effect that such materials have on the mechanical properties of the clay mixtures has been established in previous research. However, their effect on the hydric and thermal properties is less well understood and these properties are important for thermal mass and passive humidity control in buildings, aspects linked to occupant health and reductions in energy use. The present paper includes the first in-depth study of the thermal conductivity and diffusivity, as well as the water vapour permeability and moisture buffering of compressed earth blocks and plasters incorporating natural fibres. Two different vegetable materials, barley straw and corn pith, were mixed to the clay materials in two different percentages (1% and 2%). The results show that the vegetable materials have a great impact on the thermal properties and the apparent density of the mixtures, but a limited effect on the hydric properties. The greatest improvement of the moisture behaviour was shown by the specimens incorporating 2% of corn pith. This improvement is greater for short time exposure than long time exposure. After 3 h, these mixtures adsorbed 15.5 g of moisture more than the plain samples, but after 8 h the difference was reduced to 8.0 g. This indicates that such mixtures might be more appropriate in environments with short and intense moisture loads, such as bathrooms. Previous research has demonstrated that earth provides the highest moisture buffering capacity of common building materials, and this research demonstrates how these properties can be enhanced for specific applications.

Influence of fiber orientation and fiber content on properties of sisal‐jute‐glass fiber‐reinforced polyester composites

ABSTRACTThe incorporation of natural fibers with polymer matrix composites (PMCs) has increasing applications in many fields of engineering due to the growing concerns regarding the environmental impact and energy crisis. The objective of this work is to examine the effect of fiber orientation and fiber content on properties of sisal‐jute‐glass fiber‐reinforced polyester composites. In this experimental study, sisal‐jute‐glass fiber‐reinforced polyester composites are prepared with fiber orientations of 0° and 90° and fiber volume of sisal‐jute‐glass fibers are in the ratio of 40:0:60, 0:40:60, and 20:20:60 respectively, and the experiments were conducted. The results indicated that the hybrid composites had shown better performance and the fiber orientation and fiber content play major role in strength and water absorption properties. The morphological properties, internal structure, cracks, and fiber pull out of the fractured specimen during testing are also investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 42968.

Natural fiber blend—nylon 6 composites

AbstractIn this study, engineering thermoplastic composites were prepared from natural fiber blend–filled nylon 6. Natural fiber blend from a mixture of kenaf, flax, and hemp fibers were added to nylon 6 using melt mixing to produce compounded pellets. The natural fibers/ nylon6 composites with varying concentrations of natural fibers (from 5 to 20 wt%) were prepared by injection molding. The tensile and flexural properties of the nylon 6 composites were increased significantly with the addition of the natural fiber blend. The maximum strength and modulus of elasticity for the nylon 6 composites were achieved at a natural fiber blend weight fraction of 20%. The Izod impact strength of composites decreased with the incorporation of natural fibers without any surface treatments and coupling agent. The melt flow index (MFI) also decreased with increasing natural fiber blend loading. The results of tensile and flexural modulus of elasticity (FMOE) are in accordance with the rheological data from the MFI measurements. The increase in the tensile and flexural properties indicated that efficient bonding occurred between the natural fibers and nylon 6. No fiber pullout was observed during the scanning electron microscopic analysis of the fracture surfaces. The higher mechanical results with lower density demonstrate that a natural fiber blend can be used as a sufficient reinforcing material for low‐cost, eco‐friendly composites in the automotive industry and in other applications such as the building and construction industries, packaging, consumer products, etc.POLYM. COMPOS., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers

Natural Fibre-Reinforced Biofoams

Starches and polylactic acids (PLAs) represent the main biobased and biodegradable polymers with potential industrial availability in the next decades for “bio” foams applications. This paper investigates the improvement of their morphology and properties through processing and materials parameters. Starch foams were obtained by melt extrusion in which water is used as blowing agent. The incorporation of natural fibres (hemp, cellulose, cotton linter, sugarcane, coconut) in the starch foam induced a density reduction up to 33%, a decrease in water absorption, and an increase in mechanical properties according to the fibre content and nature. PLA foams were obtained through single-screw extrusion using of a chemical blowing agent that decomposed at the PLA melting temperature. A void content of 48% for PLA and 25% for cellulose fibre-reinforced PLA foams and an improvement in mechanical properties were achieved. The influence of a fibre surface treatment was investigated for both foams.

Harakeke ( phormium tenax) fibre–waste plastics blend composites processed by screwless extrusion

Most plastic packaging products are discarded after a single use resulting in an abundant supply of waste plastics. Natural fibres are light in weight, abundant and inexpensive. The stiffness and strength of polymers have been shown to improve with the incorporation of natural fibres. Hence, composite materials made of natural fibres and waste plastics would result in the reduction of plastic wastes and the use of fibres from renewable resources. Composite specimens and sheets consisting of fibres from the New Zealand flax plant, phormium tenax or Harakeke as it is known in Maori, and waste plastics have been produced through screwless extrusion followed by injection moulding. The tensile and impact properties of these composites have been determined. The formability of these composites has been assessed through thermoforming.

Composites from Brazilian natural fibers with polypropylene: mechanical and thermal properties

Brazil has a well established ethanol production program based on sugarcane. Sugarcane bagasse and straw are the main by-products that may be used as reinforcement in natural fiber composites. Current work evaluated the influence of fiber insertion within a polypropylene (PP) matrix by tensile, TGA and DSC measurements. Thus, the mechanical properties, weight loss, degradation, melting and crystallization temperatures, heat of melting and crystallization and percentage of crystallinity were attained. Fiber insertion in the matrix improved the tensile modulus and changed the thermal stability of composites (intermediary between neat fibers and PP). The incorporation of natural fibers in PP promoted also apparent T c and ΔH c increases. As a conclusion, the fibers added to polypropylene increased the nucleating ability, accelerating the crystallization process, improving the mechanical properties and consequently the fiber/matrix interaction.