Nowadays, Natural Fiber Reinforced composites (NFCs) are emerging to be a good substitute for synthetic fiber reinforced composites as NFCs have many advantages such as low density, high specific strength, recyclability, low cost and good sound abatement quality etc. Among all types of NFCs, a vast study has been done on banana fiber and kenaf fiber reinforced composite. However, only limited work has been done on the banana fabric, kenaf fiber reinforced composite and the effect of their hybridization on mechanical properties. In this paper, an attempt has been made to study the mechanical properties of the banana fabric, kenaf fiber and hybrid banana fabric/kenaf fiber reinforced composites. Effect of alkali treatment on kenaf fiber reinforced composite is discussed in the paper. For the present work, plain-woven banana fabric and randomly oriented kenaf fiber are used as reinforcement while the epoxy resin is used as a matrix. samples are fabricated using hand lay-up and vacuum bagging method. Curing is done at ambient temperature (250C-300C) for 48h. Tensile, impact and hardness test has been performed on a specimen according to ASTM standards. Improvement in mechanical properties is observed after alkali (6% NaOH) treatment on kenaf fiber reinforced composite. Tensile testing behavior of randomly oriented kenaf fiber composite has been studied using Finite element method and results are compared with experimental investigations. This topic present big potential because it seeks to find solution for sustainable development with environmental concerns.
The Effect of Resin Matrix Composition on Mechanical Properties of E-glass Fiber-Reinforced Composite for Dental Use