Characterization of banana flower pistil fiber for the potential source of composite manufacturing

Abstract

Composite materials are used in several industries such as automobile, aero, marine, construction, electrical, electronic and medicine. In industries, the metallic components are replaced with composite materials to reduce the weight without affecting the strength of component. Composite material is composed with two major elements referred to as matrix and reinforcement. Matrix occupies the majority of the volume and the reinforcement is dispersed within the matrix. The strength of composite depends on the type and quantity of reinforcement used. Generally, reinforcements are in the form of fiber, tubes, particles and plates. Further, the reinforcements are sourced from two ways like natural and synthetic. The performance of synthetic reinforcement is good compared to natural reinforcement. However, it creates some issues like harmful gas release and non-degradable. This affects the environment and living beings. Hence, the concentration on natural reinforcement is increasing day by day. In this research, an attempt has been made to focus on the natural reinforcement such as banana flower pistil fiber. Before processing the composites, the characterization of reinforcement is important. Hence, this research works concentrates on the characterization of banana flower pistil fiber to explore the new scientific knowledge to the society. The banana flower pistil fiber was characterized to examine the physical, chemical, thermal and mechanical properties newline