Studies on properties of coconut tree primary flower leaf stalk palmyra palm leaf stalk fibers and its composites

Abstract

Natural Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Material (NFRPC) are used in engineering usage for light-load applications due to the availability, biodegradability, low cost, nontoxic, fewer health risk, less weight, and eco-friendly. This research aims to explore the properties of new natural fiber i.e Coconut Tree Primary Flower Leaf Stalk Fiber (CPFLSF) and its polymer composites. Primarily in this work, the fibers were extracted from the coconut tree primary flower leaf stalk and treated with alkali chemical with different NaOH percentages such as 2%, 4%, and6 %. Their chemical, physical, mechanical, and thermal properties were investigated experimentally, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), XRD analysis, Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM) are used to analyze the fiber and its composite properties. The composite plates were prepared by hand layup method using compression moulding technique, randomly distributed untreated and treated short fiber of 3mm, 7mm, and 10mm of i) Coconut Tree Primary Fiber Leaf Stalk Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite(CPFLSFC) ii) Palmyra Palm Fiber Leaf Stalk Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite (PPLSFC) iii) CPFLSF/ PPLSF Reinforced Polymer Hybrid Composite. The specimens were prepared from composite plates as per ASTM standard to experimentally explore the mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural, and impact properties. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) was carried out to explore the modulus and damping properties of the composites. The water absorption test was also conducted to study the water intake capacity of the composites. The microscopical study has been used to examine the fiber surface and failure mechanisms. newline