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Materials Today: Proceedings 18 (2019) 2556–2562 www.materialstoday.com/proceedings

ICMPC-2019

A Review Of Natural Fiber Composites [Jute, Sisal, Kenaf]

P.Sai Shravan Kumar a,K. Viswanath Allamraju b*
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Aeronautical Engineering, Hyderabad-500043, India
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Aeronautical Engineering, Hyderabad-500043, India

Abstract

The present paper deals with the mechanical behaviour of natural fiber composites. Natural fibers are the drawing in the
enthusiasm of Engineers, enterprisers, specialists, researcher, professionals and scientists throughout the world as an material that
rules the world, due to its predominant behavioural properties such as mechanical and micro-structural properties, bio-
degradability, low weight, minimal cost, genuinely great mechanical properties, non-abrasive, eco-accommodating and bio-
degradable attributes. A literature survey has been done on these materials to make utilization of these natural fibers namely jute,
sisal, kenaf, abaca banana, cotton, coir, hemp, and so on,) abundant in India. This paper presents the review on mechanical, micro
structural properties of Jute, Sisal and Kenaf.

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the 9th International Conference of Materials Processing and Characterization, ICMPC-2019

Keywords:Jute, Sisal, Kenaf, Natural Fiber Composites

1. Introduction

The natural fiber composite materials were been extensively using now a days with the growth in environmental
needs and awareness on the utilization of ecofriendly materials. The natural fiber composites materials were
continuously attracting the attention of many researchers and scientists due to their many advantages over
conventional epoxy materials and carbon fibers materials. The application of natural fiber composites were been
growing both in Industrial and domestic human applications. The advantages of Natural fiber composites over the
epoxy resin polymer, petro based resins and carbon fibers were low cost, Bio-degradable (completely or partially). In
aerospace, leisure, construction, sports, packing and automobile industries they are used extensively. The behavioral
properties of Natural Fiber Composites are elaborated in this study.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +91-9398692463;

E-mail address:akvn87@gmail.com

2214-7853© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the 9th International Conference of Materials Processing and Characterization, ICMPC-2019
 P.S.S. Kumar and K.V. Allamraju / Materials Today: Proceedings 18 (2019) 2556–2562 2557

2. Experimental Study

2.1Study on Natural fiber composites

The interest in natural fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials is rapidly growing both in terms of their
industrial applications and fundamental research. They are renewable, cheap, completely or partially recyclable, and
biodegradable. Plants, such as flax, cotton, hemp, jute, sisal, kenaf, pineapple, ramie, bamboo, banana, etc., as well
as wood, used from time immemorial as a source of lingo cellulosic fibers, are more and more often applied as the
reinforcement of composites. Their availability, renewability, low density, and price as well as satisfactory
mechanical properties make them an attractive ecological alternative to glass, carbon and man-made fibers used for
the manufacturing of composites [6] as shown in below fig 1 (a-b) , Fig 2 (a-b) and Fig 3 (a-b).

Fig 1. (a) Sisal fiber sample material Fig 1. (b) SEM image of sisal fiber at 100x

Fig 2. (a) Jute fiber sample material Fig 2. (b) SEM image of Jute fiber at 100x

Fig 3. (a) Kenaf fiber sample material Fig 3. (b) SEM image of Kenaf fiber at 100x
2558 P.S.S. Kumar and K.V. Allamraju / Materials Today: Proceedings 18 (2019) 2556–2562

Different Fibers with respective SEM images

Fig. 4. Classification of natural fibers.

Fig. 5. Life cycle of bio-composites.

 P.S.S. Kumar and K.V. Allamraju / Materials Today: Proceedings 18 (2019) 2556–2562 2559

3. Fibers used - [JUTE, SISAL, KENAF]

The fibers are based upon the origin: plant, mineral or animal type. The plant type fibers contain larger
quantities of cellulose, whereas animal type fibers contain protein. In general, the plant fiber gives a higher strength
and stiffness than the other one. Generally, much higher strengths and stiffness’s are obtainable with the higher
performance plant fibers than the readily available animal fibers. An exception to this is silk, which can have very
high strength, but has lower stiffness, is less readily available and relatively expensive. This makes plant-based
fibers the most suitable for use in composites with structural requirements and therefore the focus of this review.
Furthermore, plant fiber can suitably be grown in many countries and can be harvested after short periods. The
properties of fibers mainly depend on their chemical composition. [2] as shown in above Fig 4 and Fig 5.
3.1 JUTE

Jute fiber gathered was rolled by cone with curve number Nm 3.6/1. The fiber material is cut down to a
required length to guarantee simple and san easy way for mixing with polymer matrix. The single fiber diameter was
60–110 μm and original fiber length was 3 to 3.5 m long. On the other hand, jute is one of the most common
agricultural fibers which exhibit moderately higher mechanical properties and are cultivated almost exclusively in
Bangladesh, India, and Thailand and in some parts of Latin America. The total annual world production of jute is
about 2500 thousand tones. In addition, flax is the most important and demandable bast fibers inEurope. About 80%
of the total world flax crop is grown in France, Belgium, Spain, UK and Holland. Flax fiber is relatively stronger,
crisper and stiffer to handle. During the last decade jute and flax fiber gained remarkable attention as reinforcing
materials of composites. [3]
3.2 Sisal

As shown below Table 1 and Table 2 .Sisal fiber an extensively available material the botanical or
biological name of Sisal is Agave sisalana, it is extensively cultivated and processed in many countries. It grows as
a stiff fiber mostly used in making large number of products [1]. The sisal fiber is mainly processed into paper,
cloths, footwear, covers, and bags,carpets, including twine and rope and dartboards. On average, sisal fiber contains
71% cellulose, 12% hemicelluloses, 10% pectin, and 9% lignin.[4]

Table 1. Chemical composition of some common natural fibers

Fiber Type Cellulose (wt%)Hemicellulose Ligning (wt%) Waxes (wt %)

(wt%)

Jute 61-71 14-20 12-13 0.5

Sisal 65 12 9.9 2

Kenaf 72 20.3 9 0.3

3.3 Kenaf

The kenaf leaves were the bast fiber that was utilized for packs, bags, covers. Today, vital cultivating
regions are India, Japan, China and it is additionally cultivated in numerous different nations. Yarn is processed out
of Kenaf for the manufacturing and producing of Cloth materials, Carpets, Sacks, bags and floor covering material
such as Mats and other covering cloth materials. In developing nations, Kenaf is used as Fabric/cloth and
nourishment review packs for grains and sugar, Carpets are the fundamental jute products after processing.
Expanded items, for example, Textiles, composites, geo-materials, paper mash and enriching materials include a
little extent of aggregate utilization. [5]
2560 P.S.S. Kumar and K.V. Allamraju / Materials Today: Proceedings 18 (2019) 2556–2562

4. Manufacturing processes

The adequate manufacturing process is employed for transformation of the base fiber materials to the required sizes
and shape without any flaws in the end products. The suitable fabrication process selection with biodegradable
composite includes plan and manufacturer concentrates around various angles, including required properties,
measurements and state of the composites, preparing a quality of materials, cost of production and rate of
manufacturing. for manufacturing of desired shape small and moderate objects , different moulding techniques likes
Compression moulding and pressure injection mouldings are usually prefer because of it rate of production and
easy manufacturing methods. As all these materials are naturally processed, there will be only some minimal
manufacturing steps after processing.

 Jute – For the further processing of raw Jute fiber material, generic manufacturing techniques are followed
as per the precise requirements.
 Sisal - For the further processing of Sisal fiber material, specified generic manufacturing techniques are
followed as per the precise requirements
 Kenaf - For the further processing, raw Kenaf fiber material is allowed for generic manufacturing
techniques as per the precise requirements.

5. Mechanical Properties

In recent years, the mechanical performance of natural fiber composites seemed to be improved significantly.
Enhancement in the overall properties in natural fiber composites has occurred due to improved fiber selection,
extraction, treatment and interfacial engineering as well as composite processing. They’ve compared the properties
like Tensile, Impact and Flexural strength, Charpy impact, Hardness, and water Absorption tests were conducted on
Sisal, Jute, Kenaf natural fiber composites and concluded that the tensile strength of sisal have studied properties of
Sisal, bamboo, coir and Jute, and tried using them in the structural up gradation. In the study, different properties of
these natural fibers like specific gravity, water absorption, and mechanical properties like tensile strength, modulus
of elasticity, were studied and tested for their application into the structural up gradation. In other study, mechanical
properties of natural fiber – Sisal, Jute, Kenaf were studies. The incorporation of these natural fiber materials with
the epoxy composite leads to and enhances in increase in the Mechanical properties enormous. It has been found
that the tensile strength of Nano Jute composite is relatively more than jute/Nano Jute composite and much higher
when compared with Jute composite. They’ve also found that the percentage elongation of single fiber in tensile
testing is less than that of the hybrid composite. They have concluded that the Kenaf fiber have the improved
mechanical properties like tensile, flexural and impact strength and hybrid composite.

In experimental study study of natural fiber composites, the following results are enumerated.

 TENSILE TEST: Tensile tests were conducted according to ASTM D 638-01 [18] using a Universal
Testing Machine at a crosshead speed of 10 mm/min.
 FLEXURAL TEST: Static flexural tests were carried out according to ASTM D 790-00 [19] using the
same Testing Machine mentioned above at the same cross-head speed.
 CHARPY IMPACT TEST: Dynamic charpy impact tests were conducted on notched composite
specimens according to ASTM D 6110-97 [20] using a Universal Impact Testing Machine.
 WATER ABSORPTION TEST: In order to measure the water absorption characteristics of the
composites, rectangular specimens were prepared having dimension of 39*10*4.1 mm. The specimens
were dried in an oven at 1058C, cooled in a desiccator using silica gel and immediately weighed.
The dried and weighed specimens were immersed in hot distilled water according to
ASTM D 570-99 [21] for 2 hours. After immersion, the excess water on the surface of the specimens
were removed using a soft cloth. The final weight of the specimens was then taken.
 HARDNESS TEST:The hardness of the composites was measured using a Rockwell Hardness Testing
Machine according to ASTM D785-98 [22]
 P.S.S. Kumar and K.V. Allamraju / Materials Today: Proceedings 18 (2019) 2556–2562 2561

5.1. Tables

Table 2. Properties of various Natural Fiber Composites.

Fiber Type Density Modulus of elasticity Tensile strength (MPa)

g/Cm3ELONGATION E(GPa)

Jute 1.31-1.8 26.5 393-773

Sisal 1.5 9.4-2.2 511-635

Kenaf 1.45 53 930

6. Micro-Structural properties

 Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM):

The interfacial bonding in the internal structure of natural Fiber materials like Jute Sisal Kenaf were examined using
a Scanning Electron Microscope (JSM-6701F). The resultant SEM images are represented in the below section as
shown below Fig 6, Fig 7 and Fig 8.

Fig 6. JUTE Fig 7. SISAL Fig 8. KENAF

7. Bio degradability

Due to the drastic increase in the utilization of Synthetic Hybrid-Fiber composite materials like Epoxy resins,
polymer resins and aramid chemical materials environment is disturbed and effected due to the imperishability and
Toxicity. When Natural fiber composite materials are compared with the Synthetic Hybrid-Fiber composite
materials they exhibit a high level of Bio-degradability. The use of environmentally friendly material was promoted
and showcased the development of Natural fiber composite materials now a day. Use of eco-friendly materials
ensures alternative way to solve the problems associated with agriculture residues. Bio-degradable eco-friendly
materials which are natural ideal for the sustainable development. It has the ability to use in recycled products,
which can be gathered, processed and reused or left to be degraded naturally, releasing the materials that can
improve, fertilize and condition the soil to enhance the agricultural yields. In this Study, we found that, Natural fiber
composite materials are biodegradable having excellent degradable properties, but their few draw back restricting
these Natural fiber composite materials to be applied in industrial application [14].
8. Vibrations Absorption Properties
Natural fibers composites like Jute, Sisal, and Kenaf were found to be having an ease in absorption handling and
good acoustic insulation properties. [10, 11, 12] .In a study of free vibrations characteristics of composite materials,
which were made of Jute, banana/sisal fibers [16], it’s been exhibited that the chemical treatment improves the
acoustic insulation, mechanical and free vibration properties of composites .In a study of damping properties of flax
fiber composites [13], it's been discovered that the damping properties of composites expanded with the twist and
pleat sum through improved intra-yarn and between yarns contact separately.
2562 P.S.S. Kumar and K.V. Allamraju / Materials Today: Proceedings 18 (2019) 2556–2562

9. Noise Reduction Properties

Noise pollution is the major problem now a days in human habitants. It causes severe disturbance not only annoying
and sleep deprived and mental disturbance’s, but also leads to severe problems like heart attack, learning disabilities.
In Automobiles the noise lead to disturbance on the concentration of drivers. Noise is considered as a factor that
annoys the pleasant environment, so every tries to avoid the noise. So they takes steps for noise elimination or
reduction, fiber materials are considered as the excellent noise absorbers, they can do the work of noise elimination
or reduction [8,9]. Now a days, fiber materials are extensively used as a good noise reduction or elimination
materials in every field. Thus, fiber materials are employed in noise reduction and reduction steps. [7]
Conclusions:
In the current study, fiber materials Jute, Sisal, and Kenaf were studies experimentally and Natural fiber composite
materials like raw Jute, Sisal ,Kenaf fibres were processed naturally with natural treatments techniques and the
manufactured composites were post-treated with natural resin materials to increase the compatibility of the these
natural fibers. Significant behaviour and working of Natural Fiber composite Materials were observed in the
Mechanical properties and Micro-structural analysis. The following conclusions can be drawn from the experimental
results of this study:
i) Natural fibers exhibits a very ecofriendly properties and bio-degradable properties.
ii) Natural fiber composites exhibits an excellent mechanical properties, they enhances if treated with epoxy
polymers.
iii) Natural Fiber composite Materials with no extra coating of epoxy resins are likely to be effected or subjected to
the water absorption, oxidative decomposition and thermal degradation greatly and affect the cellulose structure
of fiber material.
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