Need for Natural Fibre Composites

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Limited Petroleum resources and abundance of locally available natural fibres. Reduce environmental pollution. Sustainable and inexpensive. Large quantity of waste.

Commonly used natural fibres

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Fibres : Wood,Hemp,Flax,Coir,Jute,Sisal,Cotton,Kenaf. Polymers : PLA from corn and potato.

Construction Applications :
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Building decks,play grounds, walkways,pool,marina etc. Wood, flax, baggasse, and coir are the commonly used Natural fibres in construction.

Automobile Applications :
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Seat backs,cushions,door panels,speaker holders,interior furnishing,sun blades,front bumper Reduced weight gives higher efficiency and reduced production costs in a greener way. Good Acoustic Insulation : better sound quality inside luxury cars. Kenaf Flax and Hemp are commonly used fibres in the Automonile industry.

Advantages of using Natural Fibres in Composite Materials

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Renewable resource. Sustainability. Reduced cost. Reduced weight. Excellent specific strength. Safe manufacturing processes,less toxic chemicals involved and less occupational hazard.

No toxic fumes when subject to heat.

Challenges faced :
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Concerns over consistency in fibre quality. Low impact strength because of fibre defects. Degradation because of humidity. Problems with stocking huge amount of raw material with adequate protection from degradation, biological infection etc. Compatibility issues with hydrophilic fibres and hydrophobic polymer resins.. Degradation during processing. Nonuniform and non directional fibre distribution.

Role of CaO in Natural Fibre Processing

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Absorbs humidity in wood. Reduces acidity which prevents degradation during processing. Improve the bonding between fibre and matrix. Improves toughness. Slow down the rate at which composite burns.

Incorporating several mineral fillers can significantly improve the mechanical properties of Natural Fibre Composites. It is necessary to modify the surface of the natural fibres by chemical processes to ensure good bonding between the fibre and matrix.

Mercerization(Alkaline treatment) caps the hydroxyl groups of cellulose and thus reduces water absorption. Acetylating is also another method for capping the hydroxyl groups. Electronic Goods : Laptop and mobile casings Sporting Goods : Tennis Rackets,Bicycles,Snowboards

Construction : Door Panels, Window Frames, Decking ,Railings etc. Flax fibre offers the highest reinforcement as compared to Natural Fibres. Kenaf Fibre with PolyLacticAcid PLA Resin is used for making laptop and mobile casings. Wheat straw reinforced Polypropylene(PP) is used in making automobile interiors and door panels Flax fibre with epoxy resin is used for making high performance anti vibration sport bicycles. Polylactic Acid : Execellent Processing Capability,low viscosity, but absorbs moisture and becomes biodegadable. Fire resistant properties make it useful in construction of aircraft interiors. Vegetable fibres are classified into
1. 2.

Wood Based Fibres : Soft and hard wood Non Wood : Bast,Leaves,Seed hair