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Mechanical Characterization of Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites

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Fiber Reinforced Polymeric Materials and Sustainable Structures

Part of the book series: Composites Science and Technology ((CST))

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Abstract

Natural fibers, especially flax, jute and hemp fibers have gained more interest in the recent years due to their promising mechanical properties such as low cost, a high percentage of cellulose, easy availability and biodegradability. This research work aims to determine the elastic and strength properties of flax fiber-reinforced polymer (FFRP), jute fiber reinforced polymer (JFRP) and hemp fiber-reinforced polymer (HFRP) composites. These composites were fabricated by hand lay-up technique with the fiber volume fraction limited to 50%. The material characterization was performed by conducting tensile and compressive tests as per ASTM standards to evaluate the elastic and strength properties such as tensile strength, young’s modulus, compressive strength and shear modulus. The mercerization process is also considered to treat the surface of the fiber with NaOH solution to identify the effects on the mechanical properties of the composite. From the obtained results, it was observed that HFRP composites have better tensile and compressive strength, whereas FFRP composites have better stiffness. The mercerization process on the fiber's surface had mixed effects on the elastic and strength properties of the natural fiber reinforced polymer (NFRP) composites.

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Abbreviations

E1:

Young’s modulus of elasticity in the principal direction -1 (fiber direction)

E2:

Young’s modulus of elasticity in direction transverse to the fiber direction

G12:

Shear moduli in the plane 1–2

ν12:

Major Poisson’s ratios in the planes 1–2

Xt, Xc:

Tensile and compressive strength of lamina in fiber direction, respectively

Yt, Yc:

Tensile and compressive strength of lamina in direction transverse to the fiber direction

S:

Shear strength of lamina in plane 1–3

T:

Shear strength of lamina in plane 1–2

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Acknowledgements

Financial support provided by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi through Scheme no. (22(0781)/19/EMR-II) sanctioned to the second author is highly appreciated for helping in the execution of the project. The technical suggestions and discussion from the US-2020 partnership project are acknowledged to be helpful.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, 333031, India

    P. Siva Sankar & Shamsher Bahadur Singh

Authors
  1. P. Siva Sankar
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  2. Shamsher Bahadur Singh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Siva Sankar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, Pilani, Rajasthan, India

    Shamsher Bahadur Singh

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, Pilani, Rajasthan, India

    Muthukumar Gopalarathnam

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Venkatesh Kumar R. Kodur

  4. Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, New Delhi, India

    Vasant A. Matsagar

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Sankar, P.S., Singh, S.B. (2023). Mechanical Characterization of Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites. In: Singh, S.B., Gopalarathnam, M., Kodur, V.K.R., Matsagar, V.A. (eds) Fiber Reinforced Polymeric Materials and Sustainable Structures. Composites Science and Technology . Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-8979-7_5

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