Use Of Natural Fiber Reinforced Composites Research Articles

Realization of mechanical and tribological properties of hybrid banana, sisal, and pineapple fiber epoxy composites using naturally available fillers

In recent days the use of Natural fiber-reinforced composites in all sorts of consumer goods. A wide variety of technologies necessitate the use of materials with unusual property combinations, such as high strength-to-weight and stiffness ratios. Traditional metal alloys fall short of these quality standards, which has led to a significant increase in the applications of natural fibers. Hence, an effort has been made to investigate the effect of fillers like Coconut shell (CS), Saw dust (SD), Kolam (KP), and Fly ash powder (FA) on the mechanical and wear properties of Epoxy reinforced hybrid Sisal, Banana, and Pineapple fiber composites in this work. The Natural fibers weight percent was taken around 45 wt%, with the same quantity of epoxy blended with 10 wt% Naturally available fillers. The findings revealed that the CS fillers in the composite have a more positive influence on tensile strength and modulus than the composite with other fillers which are used in this study. SEM analysis of tensile-fractured CS specimens also reveals an improved fiber-matrix bonding. Similarly, the CS-filled composite also exhibits better flexural strength, modulus, and Impact strength maximum of up to 18% higher than the BS, SD, KP, and FA-filled Hybrid composites. Further, CS-filled composite has reduced weight loss against wear and friction due to higher lignin content.

Micromechanics Based Finite Element Analysis of Effective Elastic Properties of Natural Fiber Reinforced Composites

ABSTRACT For seamless use of natural fiber-reinforced composites (NFRCs) in the industry, it is essential to evaluate the elastic characteristics of NFRCs. In the present work, a finite element (FE) analysis has been done in ABAQUS for finding the effective elastic properties of the NFRCs. A comparative study of the effectiveness of different micromechanical models for assessing the effective properties of NFRCs has been discussed. The findings of the FE analysis have been compared to the effective properties obtained from the micromechanical models. It is observed that the elastic properties obtained through FE analysis are found to be in accordance with the elastic properties computed using different micromechanical models. Further, an error analysis method (Root mean squared scaled error) has been employed to quantify the results obtained from other micromechanical models and choose the most suitable model for each elastic property. There is no unified model for all the elastic properties over the varying fiber volume fraction; it is specific for a particular elastic property and fiber volume fraction.

Current State and Challenges of Natural Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Composites as Feeder in FDM-Based 3D Printing.

As one of the fastest-growing additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, fused deposition modelling (FDM) shows great potential in printing natural fibre-reinforced composites (NFRC). However, several challenges, such as low mechanical properties and difficulty in printing, need to be overcome. Therefore, the effort to improve the NFRC for use in AM has been accelerating in recent years. This review attempts to summarise the current approaches of using NFRC as a feeder for AM. The effects of fibre treatments, composite preparation methods and addition of compatibilizer agents were analysed and discussed. Additionally, current methods of producing feeders from NFRCs were reviewed and discussed. Mechanical property of printed part was also dependent on the printing parameters, and thus the effects of printing temperature, layer height, infill and raster angle were discussed, and the best parameters reported by other researchers were identified. Following that, an overview of the mechanical properties of these composites as reported by various researchers was provided. Next, the use of optimisation techniques for NFRCs was discussed and analysed. Lastly, the review provided a critical discussion on the overall topic, identified all research gaps present in the use of NFRC for AM processes, and to overcome future challenges.

Extraction, Treatment and Applications of Natural Fibers for Bio-Composites – A Critical Review

Abstract Nowadays, sustainable and eco-friendly products are gaining more attention in various engineering industries owing to their considerable strength-to-weight ratio, abundant availability, and recyclability. The properties of biofibers depend on the cultivation method, environmental conditions, and extraction method. Biofibers are hauled out by dew retting, water retting, and mechanical decortication methods. The properties of natural fiber–reinforced composites can be enhanced by proper physical and chemical treatments. The aim of this study is to propose a complete evaluation of the different extraction methods applied on natural fibers. Various physical and chemical treatment methods were used to ascertain the properties of optimized natural fiber-reinforced composites for various industrial applications. The key findings derived from various existing data and the chemical treatment results of the biofiber-reinforced composite are specifically highlighted with critical assessment. The properties and use of natural fiber-reinforced composites in the various fields of applications have made them candidates of choice over synthetic petroleum–based fibers.

Natural fiber–reinforced composites: A review on material, manufacturing, and machinability

Interest in natural fiber–reinforced composites (NFRCs) is increasing rapidly thanks to their numerous advantages such as low cost, biodegradability, eco-friendly nature, relatively good mechanical properties, and a growing emphasis on the environmental and sustainability aspects of engineering materials. However, large-scale use of NFRCs is still considered as challenging due to the difficulties in manufacturing, limited knowledge of its machinability and appropriate parameter settings, and being prone to machining-induced defects. This article presents a comprehensive review on various aspects of NFRCs, with a focus on the manufacturing and machinability. It covers some recent works related to NFRCs, including the manufacturing processes and parameters, characterization of mechanical properties, applications, and machinability and machining process monitoring, many for the first time. The main challenges associated with machining of NFRCs and the induced damages are outlined, with special attention paid to the effect of physical properties of the fibers and manufacturing process on the machinability, along with the essential machining parameters that affect the quality of the machined surface. The research perspectives and the current application status are also discussed. The article is intended to help readers attain a fundamental understanding of key technologies and the state of the arts in this research area.

Studies on Tensile and Flexural Properties of Short Banana/Glass Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Polystyrene Composites

The interest in natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites is growing rapidly due to its high performance in terms of mechanical properties, significant processing advantages, excellent chemical resistance, low cost, and low density. The development of composite materials based on the reinforcement of two or more fiber types in a single matrix, which leads to the production of hybrid composites. In the field of technical utilization of plant fibers, banana fiber-reinforced composites represent one of the most important areas. The influence of fiber content, fiber loading, and hybrid effect on the mechanical properties such as tensile strength, Young's modulus, elongation at break, and flexural properties of the composites, was evaluated. The volume fraction of glass fiber based on total fiber content increases all the mechanical properties, except elongation at break. The tensile and flexural properties of composites are observed to have improved as the fiber loading (vol%) increases. On the other hand, lack of good interfacial adhesion and poor resistance to moisture absorption make the use of natural fiber-reinforced composites less attractive. Modification of the banana fiber improves the optimum fiber-matrix properties. Hybrid effect was calculated using additive rule of hybrid mixtures. The comparison of theoretical and experimental values of tensile properties was determined using a number of models. All the models except parallel show good agreement with the experimental results.

Pre-treatment of Flax Fibers for use in Rotationally Molded Biocomposites

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of pre-treated flax fibers on the performance of the fiber-reinforced composites. Lack of good interfacial adhesion and poor resistance to moisture absorption make the use of natural fiber-reinforced composites less attractive. In order to improve fiber/matrix interfacial properties, fibers were subjected to chemical treatments, namely, mercerization, silane treatment, benzoylation, and peroxide treatment. Selective removal of non-cellulosic compounds constitutes the main objective of the chemical treatments of flax fibers to improve the performance of fiber-reinforced composites. Flax fibers were derived from Saskatchewan-grown flax straws. Composites consisting of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) or HDPE/LLDPE mix, chemically treated fibers and additives were prepared by the extrusion process. The test samples were prepared by rotational molding. The fiber surface morphology and the tensile fracture surfaces of the composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effects of the different chemical treatments on the mechanical and the physical properties of natural fiber-reinforced composites were investigated. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to measure the melting point of the fiber-reinforced composites.