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The current study examines the effect of NaOH treatment on the hardness, inter-laminar shear strength (ILSS) and water absorption behavior of epoxy composites reinforced with banana pseudostem fibers. Using the hand-lay-up method, six distinct samples are created that are composed of layers of woven and short banana fibers in both a plain and hybrid form. Plain- treated woven composites reveal the highest hardness and ILLS properties followed by the hybrid and short fiber composites. The random orientation of the fiber structure in short fiber composites results in the largest moisture absorption; this behavior is further supported by elucidating the kinetic parameters and diffusion coefficient parameters. SEM analysis confirms the improved surface of the NaOH-treated composite material.

The environmental effects on the response of Date Palm Fiber (DPF) composites are explored through an in-depth analysis of water absorption behavior. This study comprehensively investigates the influence of fiber content, immersion time, and water type on mass gain. Rigorous experimentation and advanced statistical analyses quantify the percent contribution of each factor, emphasizing the dominant role of fiber content at 96.61%. While immersion time and water type contribute relatively smaller percentages (2.11% and 1.28%, respectively), their insights are invaluable for tailored composite design. The study extends to interaction effects, showcasing the combined influence of factors. Regression models, progressing from linear and reciprocal formulations to comprehensive global models, are developed. Meticulous examination of prediction accuracy, using diverse statistical metrics, highlights the superior performance of the global reciprocal model across different water types. This work provides essential insights for optimizing DPF composite design, fabrication, and application, empowering engineers and researchers to make informed decisions in industries demanding tailored water absorption behavior.

Composites reinforced with lignocellulosic fibers are attracting attention for use in several applications. This fact is directly linked to the advantages of using renewable lignocellulosic fibers. However, due to their cellulose-based structure, lignocellulosic fibers easily absorb water, which can affect the behavior of the composites. Surface treatments are used to reduce the hydrophilicity of fibers, but common surface treatments use chemicals, compromising the green approach of using lignocellulosic fibers. This work compares the water absorption behavior of sponge gourd-epoxy matrix composites with untreated and surface treated fibers. The effect of these treatments on the variation of the Young’s modulus and damping factor of the composites during the immersion time in distilled and salt water was also evaluated using the nondestructive impulse excitation test. In addition to the commonly used surface treatments (mercerization and acetylation), hornification has also been used to reduce the use of chemicals. The results obtained show that hornification is a competitive approach to reduce the water absorption of composites, being an interesting alternative to chemical surface treatments. A relationship was established between the amount of water absorbed and the variation in Young’s modulus and damping factor. Both properties stabilized when the water absorption saturation value was reached.

The treatment of sisal fiber by pozzolanic materials like kaolin and silica-fume has been explored; however, no study has modeled and optimized the effect of sisal fiber degradation treatment using calcined bentonite. Therefore, the present study investigate the effects of treating sisal fiber with different doses of calcined bentonite, bentonite calcination temperatures, and times on fiber breaking load, degradation resistance, and water absorption using the central composite design-response surface method (CCD-RSM). The best performance of the optimum treated sisal fiber selected from the CCD-RSM based on the established goal of maximizing breaking load and degradation resistance with minimum water absorption, it was obtained a calcined bentonite dose of 30.067%, a bentonite calcination temperature of 800°C, and a calcination time of 179.99 min. Based on these factors, experimentally found sisal fiber breaking load 12.87 N, degradation resistance 98.44%, and water absorption 39.05%, all are within the 95% confidence level compared to the optimum numerical suggested values. Hence, the optimum treated sisal fiber improved breaking load by 33.37% and degradation resistance by 98%, while it reduced water absorption by 60.95%, compared to raw sisal fiber. Besides these, the optimum treated sisal fiber exhibits higher surface roughness and lower porosity than the raw sisal fiber.

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In general, the wood materials are used for constructing the buildings, passenger seats in trains and automobile doors. However, the progression of the fires due to the wooden construction is high when the fire accidents have occurred in the buildings, rail and road vehicles. To overcome this, advanced basalt fiber reinforced polymer composites can be replaced with these wood materials, owing to the high melting point of basalt fiber. However, fire resistance characterization studies are limited to natural fiber composites of different fiber volume fractions, particularly for rock fibers. There is a need to identify the fiber volume fraction effect on fire resistance characteristics of composites for filling this research gap. In this study, mechanical, water absorption, and fire resistance properties of Basalt Rock Fibers (BRF) and Pineapple Leaf Fibers (PLF) reinforced polyester composite panels were investigated. The effect of fiber volume fractions ranging from 10% to 45% on the above-mentioned properties was studied. The theoretical Young’s modulus values were determined using the Halpin-Tsai model. Results indicated that the mechanical properties of BRF/polyester and PLF/polyester composites increased with the increase in fiber volume fraction (FVF) of up to 40% and 30%, respectively. The theoretical Young’s modulus values are in reasonably good agreement with the experiments. The percentage of the linear burning rate was found to be decreased, with the increase in FVF. It was found through the water absorption studies that PLF/polyester composites are hydrophilic whereas BRF/polyester composites are hydrophobic.

In the present work, a novel purslane (Sesuvium portulacastrum) fiber has been identified and the effect of surface modifications on its physical, mechanical, and thermal properties has been studied. The fiber surface has been treated with different chemicals, such as sodium hydroxide, acrylic acid, maleic anhydride, potassium permanganate, and benzoyl peroxide. The density, water absorption property, mechanical properties, thermogravimetry analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and surface morphology have been thoroughly investigated. It has been observed that acrylic-acid-treated purslane fiber gives better performance in comparison to other treatments with an enhancement of 36.68% of tensile strength as compared to untreated fibers.

Construction industries demand a material with high strength to endure severe environmental conditions like high temperature and humid and hence, it is noteworthy to assess the thermal and water transport properties of the material. In this investigation, the natural fibers based composites were fabricated using Indian almond and kenaf fibers by hand layup method. Entirely, two natural fiber composites viz. epoxy/Indian almond & epoxy/kenaf and two hybrid composites viz. kenaf/India almond/kenaf (K/I/K) & Indian almond/kenaf/Indian almond (I/K/I) were prepared. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carried out to analyze the thermal properties and water absorption study was carried out to analyze the transport properties. TGA study showed that the epoxy/kenaf composite exhibited a maximum onset temperature of 340.49°C owing to good bonding strength and the K/I/K composite displayed a maximum decomposition temperature of 380.21 ° with a minimum mass loss of 1.29 mg/min. Further, the epoxy/Indian almond composite showed a better flame retardancy property due to more char formation. Water absorption study resulted that the epoxy/Indian almond composite absorbed more water (35% at 50°C) compared to other composites due to spongy like structure and the presence of more voids on the surface of the fiber. Further, the epoxy/kenaf composite displayed more resistance to water penetration with maximum activation energy of diffusion of 2.63 kJ/mole. Transport properties such as diffusion coefficient, sorption coefficient and permeability coefficient were varied in line with temperature. The epoxy/kenaf composite showed least diffusion coefficient of 2.48 × 10−5 cm2/s, sorption coefficient of 1.05, and permeability coefficient of 2.61 × 10−5 cm2/s at 30°C among all other composites due to good bonding strength.

In this work, the influence of hybridizing jute and carbon fibers on the mechanical properties and water absorption behavior of polyester composites was evaluated. The composites were fabricated by using compression molding technique with discrete of overall fiber weight fraction, being pure jute or pure carbon fiber or hybrid. The outcomes of the study revealed that the jute fiber composites have lower mechanical properties and higher water absorption rate when compared with carbon fiber composites. While, the combined effect enhanced the mechanical property (tensile strength of 136.3 MPa, tensile modulus of 3403 MPa, flexural strength of 175.84 MPa, flexural modulus of 9350 MPa and impact strength of 47.43 kJ/m2) and reduced the moisture absorption rate and have good interfacial bonding with polyester which was confirmed in the morphological investigation using scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, the mechanism of fracture in mechanical-tested samples was observed through scanning electron microscopic images. All the composites developed in the work was followed the Fickian behavior of water absorption.

Hydrogels are classified as a three-dimensional network system, capable of retaining large amounts of water while preserving their shape and dimensional stability. Due to their natural origin and biocompatibility with human tissue, cellulose nanofibrils are often considered to be promising candidates for bioactive hydrogels preparation. For such applications, their responsiveness under different types of mechanical load, including multiple cyclic compressions, is of crucial importance. In the present study, cellulose nanofibril-based hydrogels were initiated though a simple alkali neutralization treatment. Structural, rheological and compressive features were investigated as a function of elevated NaOH concentration and physical gelling conditions. It was found that a sufficiently concentrated alkaline solution allows the formation of mechanically robust cellulose nanofibril hydrogels, which can be dried to the state of ultralight material, aerogel, of low density (0.057 g cm −3), superior porosity (96.2%), super water absorbant capacity (1200%), and exceptional shear and compressive load resilience with elasticity modulus of 9.3 kPa. These outstanding characteristics can be predominantly attributed to the polymorphic conversion of cellulose I to cellulose II, which results from the mercerization of cellulose nanofibrils and creates a stable and firm hydrogels texture.

Fiber treatment process imparting treatments to natural fibers, Compatibilizer process, based on a coupling agent as a compatibilizer and Palsule process using a functionalized polymer as the matrix are the three processes for natural fiber reinforced polymer composites. This study is the first attempt to extend the Palsule process beyond maleic anhydride functionalized polymers by using a glycidylmethacrylate grafted VLDPE polymer, the chemically functionalized very low density polyethylene (CF-VLDPE), as the matrix and recycled wood fiber (RWF) as reinforcement to develop RWF/CF-VLDPE composites, by extrusion and injection molding. The composites show RWF/CF-VLDPE interfacial adhesion in the SEM micrographs and FTIR establishes etherification reaction and hydrogen bonding between the functional groups of RWF and of CF-VLDPE imparting this adhesion. With the increasing reinforcing RWF contents in the composites, their tensile properties increase. After being immersed in water for one year, the wet composites show lower properties than their dry counterparts but better properties than dry CF-VLDPE matrix. The study establishes that natural fiber reinforced glycidylmethacrylate functionalized polymer composites also can be developed by Palsule process.

The present article attempts to study absorption properties of bio-composites reinforced with date palm fibers. The effect of fiber loading on water absorption at room temperature 25°C was investigated. The weight gain was measured of bio-composites immersed in distilled water, seawater and rainwater, for more than 670 hours, until reaching the saturation with a measurement interval between 24 and 48 hours. To understand absorption phenomenon, scanning electron microscopy was used. Porosity rate was determined using image J software. It was noted the water absorption rate of the bio composites reached 16.20%, 16.33%, 21.94%, 41.99% for seawater, 16.41%, 16.52%, 20.84%, 30.08% for distilled water, and 14.00%, 14.04%, 19.30%, 36.94% for rainwater, respectively. The absorption increases when increasing fiber content. The diffusion coefficient of bio-composites has minimum and maximum values of about 1.94 × 10−6mm2/s and 3.99 × 10−6mm2/s, respectively. Palm fibers are highly porous. The porosity value was higher than 51%. To predict the absorption rate, artificial neural network method was used. The ANN models obtained are very well correlated with the experimental data where the values of the correlation coefficient of the datasets are all beyond 0.99 and the average error value was estimated at 3 × 10−5.

The composites industry is advancing towards producing green composites as sustainability is quickly becoming a global focus across numerous industries. Natural fiber-based composites have emerged as materials of interest in important industries, such as packaging, automobiles, and construction. False banana fiber-reinforced composite is a promising area of research owing to their partial or full biodegradability, easy availability, low cost, and considerable mechanical properties. However, more research is required to understand the full potential of false banana fiber on its composites. As a result, this review gives a basic overview of several researchers work and explain in terms of how they are prepared, what features they have, and how they are used. Particularly in regards to the mechanical and water absorption capabilities of composites, the use of false banana fibers as reinforcements in different matrices has produced interesting results. The study also found that preparation, hybridization and treatment of fiber influence the properties of false banana fiber composites. Furthermore, the development of these composites has promoted the use of environmentally friendly materials and the development of a sustainable world. This review also provides a strong and holistic outlook on the potential of false banana fibers for use as a partially or fully biodegradable composite and has not been reviewed earlier.

ABSTRACTComposites are attracting the attention of researchers nowadays because of their strength-to-stiffness ratio. The development of wood particle composites reinforced for practical purposes has been successfully attempted. This paper focuses on the application of an epoxy/hardener ratio with wood particle-reinforced polymers to develop high-strength wood composites. The percentage of wood particles in the composition varied as follows: 5, 15, and 25 wt%, with epoxy/hardener ratios of 5:0.3, 10:1, and 5:0.8. Appropriate surface modifications were made by different treatments with 0.6, 0.8, and 1 g of NaOH in 10 liters of distilled water and 0.2% KMnO4 for better adhesion of particles and epoxy. Flexural strength, impact strength, water absorption, and SEM were investigated. Nine experiments were investigated based on the Taguchi orthogonal array blend design. The composite was successfully fabricated using the conventional hand lay-up technique. The highest mean S/N ratio considered was found for wood content composition (15%), epoxy resin to hardener ratio (10%), and NaOH (1%), i.e. the main factors affecting the mean flexural and impact strength were the wood particle contents in the matrix. Water absorption was investigated. Water absorption was found to increase with wood particle content.

Natural fibers as reinforcement of cementitious matrices have become a material with greater toughness, strength, and sustainability for the construction industry. However, their use can generate some inconveniences due to the high-water absorption of the natural fiber, which affects the production and durability of composites. In this work, the autoclave treatment of sisal fibers was carried out in order to determine time and pressure values that result in a lower water absorption of the fibers. The fibers were exposed to 1.0 or 1.5 atm of vapor pressure for 30, 60 and 90 min and their structures were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscope. The effect of treatment on fiber dimensional variation, fiber mechanical properties, and fiber-matrix bond was investigated. Composites reinforced with treated fibers were produced and subjected to bending tests. The results indicate that the autoclave treatment with 30 min and 1.5 atm reduced the water absorption from 134% to 90% and the dimensional variation from 63% to 18%. However, structural modification of the fibers reduced the fiber’s tensile strength and bond strength. Composites reinforced with treated fibers showed lower flexural strength and toughness than those reinforced with natural fibers.

This research aims to reduce the degradation of sisal fiber-reinforced polyester composites due to water absorption through chemical treatments and hybridizations. Sisal fibers were treated using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and baking soda (NaHCO3). Unidirectional glass and carbon fibers were chosen as hybrid fibers. Thirteen laminates of pure sisal fibers, hybridized with glass or carbon fibers at different stacking sequences and volume fractions, were prepared using the hand layup technique. The laminates were examined for tensile and impact strength at dry and wet conditions. The effects of baking soda and sodium hydroxide treatments, glass and carbon fibers hybridization, and the sequence and volume of the hybrid fibers on the tensile strength, impact strength, water absorption, and degradation of the laminates were studied and compared. Chemical treatments and hybridizations have enhanced the tensile and impact strength of the composites. Significant reduction in the water uptake rate and degradation of the laminates were observed. Almost 166% and 87%, respectively, improvements were obtained in the tensile and impact strength of the dry samples. Moreover, more than 74% reduction in water uptake, and 84.7% and 91.7%, respectively, improvements in the degradation of the tensile and impact strengths were discovered.

Natural fibers are gaining popularity among researchers and academics for use in polymer composites due to their environmental friendliness and long-term viability.A new series of green composites using chicken feather fiber (CFF) and jute as reinforcing materials in a polypropylene resin-based polymer matrixwere used to fabricate the hybrid composites. This paper examines the impact of molding pressure, temperature, and time on the tensile strength and water absorption characteristics of compression molded hybrid composites. The findings of experiments undertaken to evaluate hybrid composites produced with different fiber fractions and processing parameters are discussed in this paper.When the composites’ overall tensile strength was compared, the 100% Jute fiber composite had the highest tensile strength when the maximum pressure, temperature, and time were kept constant. Temperature and pressure have a considerable impact on composite sample tensile strength, whereas time has little influence.As predicted, raising the jute weight percentage in composites increases water absorption.

The building sector is one of the most dynamic in terms of energy consumption, consuming about 40% of the world’s energy. This same sector is also responsible for about 1/3 of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. In recent years, the adoption of composite materials, particularly those strengthened through the use of natural fibers is growing in all areas. This increase is the direct result of the important performances offered by these materials and that includes lightness, thermal, and acoustic insulation along with respect for the environment. This led to the integration of materials, such as bio composites or bio sandwiches, into various building structures constructions relating to civil engineering. However, numerous researches related to bio composites showed the need to explore them further particularly concerning the issue of moisture absorption as the presence of water affects the behavior of plant fibers both in terms of swelling and degradation. It is within this context that the present study focuses on modeling the water absorption behavior of bio sandwich materials having an agglomerated cork core associated with fibers extracted from the plant Quercussuber L. Fick’s law and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) are applied to model the experimental results pertaining to this absorption behavior. The experimental investigation starts by placing the original samples in tank filled with distilled water at an ambient temperature of 25°C. Mass samples are later and periodically taken on specimen with cork core having different thicknesses (5, 10, and 20 mm) as well as on laminated skin sandwiches made of short flax fibers until saturation that lasted around 25 days. The two Fick’s diffusion characteristic parameters represented by the mass gain at saturation (Mm) and the diffusion coefficient (D) were determined analytically and water absorption kinetics behavior was recorded and later compared to the curves predicted by Fick’s laws. Statistical processing of the results was carried out through the application of the analysis of variance ANOVA.

Natural fiber composites are the recent upcoming materials used in structural and other general engineering applications. They are more popular because of their biodegradability, lightweight, more strength-to-weight ratio, easy availability, eco-friendliness, and sustainable material features. But natural fibers are available in the form of dust particles, hemicellulose, lignin, and other waste substances, due to the existence of these particles strength and internal bonding could vary. To improve strength and contact area between fabric/matrix, chemical treatment is very much necessary. In the present work, plain woven banana fabrics (PWBFs)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) biodegradable composites were prepared to understand the effect of potassium permanganate (KMnO4) solution with 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4% concentrations for 4 hours, test samples were fabricated by using hand lay-up method as per ASTM standards, tested for dynamic mechanical analysis. From the experimental results, it was observed that 1% KMnO4-treated composite got the best results as compared to untreated and other sets of treated composites. Hence for further analysis, biodegradability and water absorption analysis were carried out for a duration of 60 days, from experimental results it was noticed that KMnO4 treated composites required more time to completely biodegradable in normal soil and increases the surface roughness as well as decreased the water absorption.

Interface between the fiber and polymer matrix plays a key role in fiber-reinforced composites. Modification of the interface by chemicals or particles promotes the interaction between fiber and matrix. In the present study, attempt has been made to modify the surface of jute fiber with starch particles, an eco-friendly and low-cost material. Coating of starch on jute fiber has been carried out by a solution-based approach with variation in fiber to starch ratio (100:1, 100:5, 100:10). Composites have been prepared by hand lay-up technique using starch uncoated and coated fibers along with unsaturated polyester resin (UPR). Fibers have been characterized by microscopy and thermal analysis which reveals the coating of starch particles on fibers. It has been observed that with increasing starch concentration roughness increases but higher content leads to smooth surface of the fiber. The mechanical properties of composite sheets have been evaluated by tensile, flexural and impact testing. Maximum tensile strength of 20.5 MPa and Young’s modulus of 1457.7 MPa has been obtained in composites having starch-coated fibers with fiber to starch ratio of 100:5. water absorption studies show marginal variation in water uptake by the composites with starch-coated jute fibers.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of fiber loading on mechanical and water absorption characteristics of composites made from sisal fiber and polypropylene matrix targeted for use in bathroom wall tile applications. The amount of fiber content in the composites was varied from 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% to 50% by weight. The composites were manufactured by melt-mixing method. The effects of fiber loading on various composite characteristics were investigated using tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus, impact strength, compressive strength, and water absorption. With the increase of fiber content, properties, such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus, impact strength, and compressive strength increases up to optimum level, whilst decrement in these properties were observed after the optimal level. The maximum tensile strength of 52.69 MPa, tensile modulus of 1.1 GPa, flexural strength of 127.8 MPa, flexural modulus of 6.22 GPa, impact strength of 10.195 KJ/m2 and compressive strength 137.7 MPa were obtained. Water absorption rate increased with increase in the fiber weight proportion due to the hydrophilic character of the sisal fiber. From the result of this study, it can be concluded that the optimal mechanical and water absorption properties were achieved at 30% fiber content.

The main objective of the present study was to investigate both the effect of incorporating Jute Fibers (JF) into the high density polyethylene (HDPE) matrix and to model the water uptake behavior of the biocomposites (HDPE/%JF) using the artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict the absorption ratio as a function of immersion time. Due to the fact that even partially biocomposites have a low resistance to moisture, which degrades their mechanical properties over time, their field of application is limited as a result of this notable defect. Absorption tests were carried out by immersing the biocomposite samples in distilled water at room temperature for several days until absorption became stable. Water absorption increased with both jute filler loading and immersion time and that the uptake process was fast at the begging of the experiments to reach saturation in time immersion close to 120 h. The results of ANN predicted values are close to the parity threshold; they are in perfect agreement with those obtained experimentally. Thus, the ANN method is able to reliably predict the water absorption of HDPE/%Jute fiber biocomposites. Therefore, it should be concluded that the ANN model provides better prediction accuracy than the RSM model. Finally, the findings of this study have positive implications for future applications of HDPE/%Jute biocomposites whether in the design or maintenance phase; application engineers can easily determine the swelling coefficient of such biocomposites without experimentation, saving thus money and time.

By hybridizing fibers, natural fibers are widely employed to substitute synthetic fibers in all feasible applications. The present study focuses on the development and characterization of hybrid Areca-Pineapple fiber epoxy composites with varied stacking sequences. Using the hand lay-up method, four types of stacking sequence-based epoxy composites were developed. ASTM standards were used to evaluate the mechanical and water absorption characteristics of the developed composites. Test results revealed that the ultimate tensile (53.433 MPa), flexural (60 MPa), compression (16.591 MPa), and Shore-D hardness (91) values were higher for three layers of pineapple fibers-based epoxy composites. At the same time, the three layers of areca fibers-based epoxy composites showed better impact (0.8 J) and water absorption properties (2.4%) due to the high amorphous contents of the fibers. Morphological studies carried out by a scanning-electron-microscope revealed stronger fiber-matrix bonding, resulting in higher mechanical test results.

The water absorption, chemical resistance, and biological properties are contributing factors to the overall performance of bio-composites, especially for outdoor applications. The functional properties of bio-composites are dependent on the interfacial bonding mechanism, which is controlled by the surface modification and processing parameters of natural fibers. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the potential of enhancing the mukwa/polylactide (mukwa/PLA) interface through an economic and ecological surface modification of recycled mukwa wood fibers via alkali-laccase modification. The fabricated bio-composites intended for making durable farm poles for semi-arid conditions of Southern Africa were characterized via water absorption, chemical resistance, thickness swelling, hardness, and thermal properties. Less thickness swelling and water absorption were found on the alkali-laccase/PLA composites. The less-dense (1.09 g/cm3) alkali-laccase treated composites showed better chemical resistance. Much swelling of the composites was observed on the 40% nitric acid (HNO3), while 60%NaOH shrunk the composites and PLA by

The goal of this study is to thoroughly comprehend the advantages of rattan (Calamus beccarii) as potential reinforcement in polymeric composites. The influence of various chemical treatments on thermal, morphological, mechanical and water absorption characteristics of natural rattan (RA) stem fiber were investigated. In this research, RA fiber surface was modified through different chemical treatments such as alkalization, bleaching, and benzoylation. The presence of voids and rough surfaces was investigated on SEM micrographs which are due to removal of lignin, wax, and oils from the fiber surface to a large extent. The results obtained from Fourier transform infrared may indicate the presence of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin compounds in the case of untreated and treated RA fiber. The increase in tensile strength and Young’s modulus confirms improvement in the mechanical properties of the RA fiber after chemical treatment. It was observed that alkali-treated RA fibers exhibit highest mechanical properties (295.28 MPa tensile strength, 8.23 GPa Young’s modulus). Also, X-ray diffraction analysis gives a higher crystallinity index (62.50%) for treated RA fiber. Thermogravimetric analysis confirms that there was an increase in the thermal stability of the fiber after chemical treatment. Overall results confirm that the RA fiber is appropriate for use as a reinforcing phase in composite materials for prospective engineering semi-structural applications such as roofing sheets, bricks, door panels, furniture panels, interior paneling, storage tanks, and pipelines.

Natural fiber composites are being increasingly used in several fields, owing to their considerable cost, weight, and environmental benefits. The objective of this research is to study the effect of water absorption on the behavior of laminated biocomposites using flax (F) and sisal (S) fiber biocomposites with different stacking sequences (3S and 3F) and fiber orientation at 90° (F090s and S090s), as well as hybridizations (F/4S90/F and S/4F90/S) to reinforce an epoxy matrix. The kinetics of water diffusion within the proposed biocomposites was monitored and analyzed through a model-based optimization approach using artificial neural network (ANN) method. The results of this study showed that the amount of water absorbed by different types of biocomposites increased with time according to Fick’s law. Non-hybrid flax and sisal fiber composites (UD and (0/90°)s oriented) had lower water absorption rates than the hybrid orientation. It was also observed that sisal fiber was most sensitive to water absorption than flax. A high correlation of experimental data with the model was revealed which denoted that the ANN learning process was perfectly performed. Therefore, it was inferred that the ANN approach can accurately predict biocomposites water absorption.

Artificial neural networks (ANN) and response surface method (RSM) modeling were used to study the effect of water absorption on the behavior of jute (JF/epoxy) and sisal (SF/epoxy) biocomposite. The specimens were laminated with short fibers of different lengths (5 mm, 10 mm, and 15 mm) of jute and sisal until saturation lasted about 25 days. The kinetic behavior of water uptake was recorded and then compared to the curves predicted by the two models. The results showed that the water absorption of the jute and sisal biocomposites was fairly lower for the 5 mm length compared to the 10 mm and 15 mm lengths. The optimized solution is attained with 1.00 desirability for 14.73 mm fiber length and 482.85 h immersion time. The RSM model error percentages were higher than the ANN model indicating better accuracy in predicting the water uptake of biocomposites by the ANN model compared to RSM. The results of this investigation offer benefits for the application of jute and sisal fiber biocomposites at the elaboration and application stage; it is easy for engineers to identify the swelling factor of these biocomposites without the need for experiments, thus avoiding costs and time.

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Interface between the fiber and polymer matrix plays a key role in fiberreinforced composites. Modification of the interface by chemicals or particles promotes the interaction between fiber and matrix. In the present study, attempt has been made to modify the surface of jute fiber with starch particles, an eco-friendly and low-cost material. Coating of starch on jute fiber has been carried out by a solution-based approach with variation in fiber to starch ratio (100:1, 100:5, 100:10). Composites have been prepared by hand lay-up technique using starch uncoated and coated fibers along with unsaturated polyester resin (UPR). Fibers have been characterized by microscopy and thermal analysis which reveals the coating of starch particles on fibers. It has been observed that with increasing starch concentration roughness increases but higher content leads to smooth surface of the fiber. The mechanical properties of composite sheets have been evaluated by tensile, flexural and impact testing. Maximum tensile strength of 20.5 MPa and Young's modulus of 1457.7 MPa has been obtained in composites having starch-coated fibers with fiber to starch ratio of 100:5. water absorption studies show marginal variation in water uptake by the composites with starch-coated jute fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

FTIR of (a) neat epoxy, (b) untreated epoxy/DPP, and (c) treated epoxy/DPP (20 wt% fiber loading) XRD of neat epoxy, treated and untreated epoxy/DPP composite at 20 wt% fiber loading has been compared and is shown in Figure 8. SEM of (a) untreated DPP/epoxy composite and (b) treated DPP/epoxy composite at 20 wt% fiber loading Entrapped air bubbles and voids are clearly visible in Figure 12(a), which is due to poor adhesion between untreated fibers and epoxy resin. SEM image of (a) untreated and (b) acrylic acid-treated DPP fibers Fabrication of epoxy/DPP composites In this research, untreated and acrylic acid-treated DPP fibers are taken as filler for fabrication of epoxy/DPP composites at various fiber loading. [Extracted from the article]

The composite A2 with all layers of pineapple fiber had the highest compressive strength among the manufactured composites, whereas the composite with all layers of areca fiber had the lowest compressive strength. Keywords: Areca; pineapple; natural fiber; water absorption; epoxy composite; ; ; ; ; EN Areca pineapple natural fiber water absorption epoxy composite ZH 9681 9692 12 11/21/22 20221220 NES 221220 Introduction Natural fiber composites are currently used more than synthetic fiber composites in the current scenario. When comparing A3 composites to A1 composites, the inclusion of areca fiber in the outer layer and pineapple fiber in the core layer resulted in an improvement in tensile strength. [Extracted from the article]

Hybrid composite materials containing natural fibers are replacing conventional materials for automobile, aerospace and sports goods structural applications. Fiber extracted from plants and man-made fibers reinforced with polymer matrix find many applications because of improved characteristics, such as light weight and high strength. In this work, fabricated hybrid composites using chemically treated abaca, kenaf and carbon fiber reinforced with epoxy and teta hardener are studied. Hybrid composites have four stacking sequences and five layer composites made up of hand laid up then compression molding. Produced hybrid composites are subjected to various loads to determine the mechanical strength. Moisture absorption measured in the distilled water was used as the medium during water absorption test. Experimental results showed that the treated fiber hybrid composite provided higher mechanical strength and absorbed less moisture. The morphology of fractured surfaces was analyzed by electron microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]