Characterisation and utilization of natural coconut fibres composites

Published Date
August 2009, Vol.30(7):2741–2744, doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2008.11.002

Short Communication

Author 

Wang Wei

Huang Gu ^,

• School of Textiles, Tianjin Polytechnic University, 63 Chenglin Road, Hedong District, Tianjin 300160, PR China

Received 29 August 2008. Accepted 3 November 2008. Available online 13 November 2008.

Abstract

Two thousand fibres were randomly taken from a coir fibre stack, characters of the fibres were analysed. It was shown that length of the fibres was in the range between 8 and 337 mm. The fibres amount with the length range of 15–145 mm was 81.95% of all measured fibres. Weight of fibres with the length range of 35–225 mm accounted for 88.34% of all measurement. The average fineness of the coir fibres was 27.94 tex. Longer fibres usually had higher diameters.

Composite boards were fabricated by using a heat press machine with the coir fibre as the reinforcement and the rubber as matrix. Tensile strength of the composites was investigated.

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• ⁎ 
  Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 22 24528528; fax: +86 22 24528287.

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Coconut fibre reinforced polyethylene composites: effect of natural waxy surface layer of the fibre on fibre/matrix interfacial bonding and strength of composites

Published Date

doi:10.1016/j.compscitech.2004.09.020

JNC13-AMAC-Strasbourg

Author 

M. Brahmakumar

C. Pavithran ^,

R.M. Pillai

• Regional Research laboratory (CSIR), Council of Scientific and Ind. Res., Thiruvananthapuram 695 019, Kerala, India

Received 13 October 2003. Revised 27 July 2004. Accepted 1 September 2004. Available online 23 November 2004.

Abstract

Coconut fibre has been used as reinforcement in low-density polyethylene. The effect of natural waxy surface layer of the fibre on fibre/matrix interfacial bonding and composite properties has been studied by single fibre pullout test and evaluating the tensile properties of oriented discontinuous fibre composites. The waxy layer provided good fibre–matrix bond such that removal of the layer resulted in drastic decrease of the fibre pullout stress, increase of the critical fibre length and corresponding decrease in tensile strength and modulus of the composites. The waxy layer of polymeric nature also exhibited a stronger effect on interfacial bonding than by grafted layer of a C₁₅ long-chain alkyl molecule onto the wax-free fibre. The morphological features of the fibre along with its surface compatibility with the matrix favours oriented flow of relatively long fibres along with the molten matrix during extrusion.

Keywords

A. Polymer–matrix composites

A. Natural fibres

B. Surfaces

B. Interfacial strength

B. Mechanical properties

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• * 
  Corresponding author. Tel.: +91 471 2515244; fax: +91 471 249172

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A potential natural energy absorption material – Coconut mesocarp: Part A: Experimental investigations on mechanical properties

Published Date
September 2016, Vol.115:564–573, doi:10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2016.07.017

Author 

• Xuan Truong Nguyen ^a,b,c
• Shujuan Hou ^a,b,,
• Taiqu Liu ^a,b
• Xu Han ^a,b,,

• aState Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing for Vehicle Body, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, PR China
• bCollege of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, PR China
• cOffice of Science and Technology Administration, Hanoi University of Industry, North Tuliem District, Hanoi, SR Vietnam

Received 22 April 2016. Revised 1 July 2016. Accepted 16 July 2016. Available online 18 July 2016

Highlights

• Specimens with densities from 90 to 220 kg/m³ were quasi-statically compressed in three directions.
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  The coconut mesocarp material performs an obvious energy-absorption characteristic of porous materials in the grain (coir fiber) direction.
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  The digital microscopy photos were taken to illustrate the composition of coconut mesocarp.
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  The Young's modulus and Poison's Ratios of mesocarp was computed based on experimental datum.

Abstract

The energy-absorption abilities and mechanical properties of mesocarp material were firstly studied. Specimens with varying densities ranging from 90 to 220 kg/m³ were quasi-static compressed in the radial, tangential and grain (coir fiber) direction with a loading speed of 2 mm per minute. The digital microscopy photos were taken to illustrate composition of coconut mesocarp. The great discovery is that coconut mesocarp shows different mechanical characteristics in three different directions, and that the coconut mesocarp material performs an obvious energy-absorption characteristic of porous materials in the grain direction. In the tangential and radial direction, it performs a similar metal characteristic. The Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio of mesocarp was predicted and computed based on experimental datum. The Young's modulus in the grain direction is highest among three directions. The specific energy absorption of mesocarp was also computed and the result shows that mesocarp material is a potential natural energy absorption material, especially in the grain direction.

Keyword 

Coconut

Mesocarp

Energy-absorption

Porous material

Crashworthiness

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Nomenclature

SEA

specific energy absorption

E_j

energy absorption

F

compressive force (load)

l/l₀

compressed length

m_i

quantity of a single specimen

F

compress force

F_max

peak force

σ

stress

ϵ

strain

ρ

density

µ

Poisson's ratio

E, E_x, E_y, E_z

Young's modulus

L

original length of specimen in the compression direction

ΔL

the length variation

A

cross-sectional area of the specimen perpendicular to the compression direction

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• ⁎ 
  Corresponding authors at: College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, PR China.

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