Synthesis and characterization of fiber based composites made from naturally available reinforcement.

There is no substitute to the authenticity of Natural materials. Now a days the use of renewable or naturally available resources is increasing demand which leads to evaluation of new materials and its processes. Many researches are going on and new ideas are coming up with excellent results. This paper proposes the usage of naturally available materials instead of synthetic materials to reduce the cost. It has an effective utilization of waste materials along with eco-friendly materials. It also gives a brief description and experimental study on the development of polymer-based composites using natural fiber such as coconut and palm tree fiber by hand lay-up process and its characterization. An attempt is made to compute mechanical properties of Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite (NFRPC) having different fiber and orientation. The matrix used is polyester resin with cobalt octoate as a hardener and Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide (MEK Peroxide). The test such as bend test and hardness test according to ASTM D 790 and ASTM D785 standards are carried out on sample respectively to test the flexural stress, flexural modulus and hardness number against currently accepted standard materials in the industrial area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]