A review on the effect of fibre loading on mechanical strength of natural fibre reinforced polymer composites

Abstract

This paper is a review on the effect of fibre loading on mechanical properties of natural fibre reinforced polymer
composites. Recently, there has been a rapid growth in research and innovation in the natural fibre polymer composite
(NFPC) area. Natural fibre composite is used as alternative to synthetic fibre composite due to their good mechanical
properties, eco-friendly, high specific strength, non-abrasive, bio-degradability, renewable, low density, low cost, low
machine wear. However, in development of these composites, the incompatibility of the fibres and poor resistance to
moisture often reduce the potential of natural fibres. The mechanical properties of natural fibre reinforced polymer
composite are mainly influenced by the interfacial adhesion between the matrix and the fibres. Therefore, chemical
modification of natural fibre are employed to improve the interfacial matrix–fibre bonding resulting in the enhancement of
mechanical properties of the composites. The mechanical strengths of the natural fibre reinforced polymer composites
increase with increase fibre content up to a maximum or optimum value, after that the mechanical strength will drop.