Development and Study of Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Areca Sheath Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites

Abstract

Recently, global warming is a major environmental issue which is a challenge to the world community. This is mainly due to the urbanisation and mechanisation of life style of the people. The use of synthetic and plastic materials is one of the important factors for this problem. Since the inception of composite materials made of straw and mud, scientists and engineers have developed various low cost fiber reinforced polymer composites (FRP) by reinforcing synthetic fibers in polymeric matrices. However, the use of synthetic fibers is being restricted due to various disadvantages like biodegradability, initial processing costs, recyclability, energy consumption, machine abrasion, health hazards etc. Therefore, the growing environmental awareness throughout the world has triggered a paradigm shift towards the use of natural fibers as an attractive alternative to synthetic fibers. It provides positive environmental benefits with respect to ultimate disposability and raw material utilization. Accordingly extensive studies on preparation and properties of polymer matrix composite (PMC) replacing the synthetic fiber with natural fiber like Jute, Sisal, Pineapple, Bamboo, Date Palm, Lacanta Camara, Sugarcane and Kenaf were carried out. These plant fibers have many advantages over glass fiber or carbon fiber like renewable, environmental friendly, low cost, lightweight and high specific mechanical performance. newline