Natural Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite: A Review

The manufacturing industry uses a variety of materials, including pure metals, alloys and composites. Due to the inability of pure metals to meet the demands of modern products, a transition in materials from pure metals to composites is taking place. Composite materials are invented to attain the desired properties, including lightweight, high strength, creep resistance, high corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance, high-temperature resistance and high wear resistance. Natural plant fibers, such as flax, hemp, kenaf, jute, sisal, coir and cotton, are a reliable source for producing composites because they have various advantages over synthetic fibers, including cheaper cost, low specific gravity, biodegradability, lightweight, fewer health hazards, availability, low-grade greenhouse emissions and high flexibility. Natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites (NF-RPC) are commonly utilized in automotive applications because they are lighter in weight, resulting in lower fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The mechanical properties of NF-RPC, such as tensile strength, Young’s modulus, flexural strength, hardness and many others, are affected by several factors, for example, fiber aspect ratio, the weight percentage of fiber, different orientations of fiber, usage of the fabrication process, chemical compositions of fiber and different pre-treatments of fiber. Therefore, in this article, some specific applications, mechanical properties, fabrication techniques of NF-RPC, and methods to enhance the properties of natural fibers, have been discussed.