Experimental and numerical investigation of sustainable thermal insulation competence of natural fiber reinforced composite.

The objective of the investigation is to envisage the thermal insulation of caryota palm fibre reinforced composite. Caryota palm fibre reinforced composite was prepared using hand lay-up method. Guarded thermal conductivity meter was used to measure the thermal conductivity (k) of the composite. The test results reveal that, the insulation capability of the composite was improved with the content of fiber. Nevertheless, the conductivity of composites increases with respect to temperature. Temperature distribution and heat transfer through the composite materials was computed using ANSYS fluent solver. The rate of heat transfer of caryota composite is 14% lesser than glass fiber composite. Petroleum based materials can be replaced with the caryota palm composite material for insulation applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]