Investigation on Mechanical Characteristics of Luffa Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Materials

Abstract

Natural fibers are emerging as a better component than synthetic fibers in many occasions such as in automotive and several other products. There major advantages are low cost, biodegradability, lower density and abundant in nature. Many natural fibers are extracted from agricultural waste and plants. These fibers are bonded together with help of polymer matrix. Mostly synthetic polymers are used because of its high adhesion characteristics. These fibers are processed in mercerization technique to reduce moisture absorption characteristic and waxy layer on the fiber. this work is based on developing a new set of NFRP consisting of luffa, almond and ground nut and determining the best volume fraction for better reinforcement. The composites are fabricated by hand layup technique and their mechanical characteristic for five different volume fractions are evaluated by simple testing methods such as hardness, impact, tensile, density, moisture absorption test.