The increase in awareness of the damage caused by synthetic materials on the environment has led to the development of eco-friendly materials. The researchers have shown a lot of interest in developing such materials which can replace the synthetic materials. As a result, there is an increase in demand for commercial use of the natural fiber-based composites in recent years for various industrial sectors. Natural fibers are sustainable materials which are easily available in nature and have advantages like low-cost, lightweight, renewability, biodegradability and high specific properties. The sustainability of the natural fiber-based composite materials has led to upsurge its applications in various manufacturing sectors. In this paper, we have reviewed the different sources of natural fibers, their properties, modification of natural fibers, the effect of treatments on natural fibers, etc. We also summarize the major applications of natural fibers and their effective use as reinforcement for polymer composite materials.

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Natural Fibers as Sustainable and Renewable Resource for Development of Eco-friendly Composites: A Comprehensive Review

Mechanical properties of kenaf fibre reinforced polymer composite: A review

Renewable and sustainable biobased materials: An assessment on biofibers, biofilms, biopolymers and biocomposites

INTRODUCTION TO COMPOSITE MATERIALS Chapter Objectives Introduction Classi?cation Recycling Fiber-Reinforced Composites Mechanics Terminology Summary Key Terms Exercise Set References MACROMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF A LAMINA Chapter Objectives Introduction Review of De?nitions Hooke's Law for Different Types of Materials Hooke's Law for a Two-Dimensional Unidirectional Lamina Hooke's Law for a Two-Dimensional Angle Lamina Engineering Constants of an Angle Lamina Invariant Form of Stiffness and Compliance Matrices for an Angle Lamina Strength Failure Theories of an Angle Lamina Hygrothermal Stresses and Strains in a Lamina Summary Key Terms Exercise Set References APPENDIX A: MATRIX ALGEBRA Key Terms APPENDIX B: TRANSFORMATION OF STRESSES AND STRAINS Transformation of Stress Transformation of Strains Key Terms MICROMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF A LAMINA Chapter Objectives Introduction Volume and Mass Fractions, Density, and Void Content Evaluation of the Four Elastic Moduli Ultimate Strengths of a Unidirectional Lamina Coefficients of Thermal Expansion Coefficients of Moisture Expansion Summary Key Terms Exercise Set References MACROMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF LAMINATES Chapter Objectives Introduction Laminate Code Stress-Strain Relations for a Laminate In-Plane and Flexural Modulus of a Laminate Hygrothermal Effects in a Laminate Summary Key Terms Exercise Set References FAILURE, ANALYSIS, AND DESIGN OF LAMINATES Chapter Objectives Introduction Special Cases of Laminates Failure Criterion for a Laminate Design of a Laminated Composite Other Mechanical Design Issues Summary Key Terms Exercise Set References BENDING OF BEAMS Chapter Objectives Introduction Symmetric Beams Nonsymmetric Beams Summary Key Terms Exercise Set References INDEX

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Mechanics of composite materials

Environmentally-friendly monofilament cellulosic fibres have been widely used as alternatives for conventional steel reinforcement within concrete. Recently, the use of cellulosic fibre fabrics and their fabric reinforced polymer composites as reinforcement materials within and/or outside of construction materials (e.g. concrete) has gained popularity due to their inexpensive cost and favourable specific mechanical properties compared with synthetic fibre fabrics (e.g. E-glass). This review presents a summary of recent development on cellulosic fibre Fabric Reinforced Cementitious (FRC) and Fabric Reinforced Geopolymer (FRG) composites, as well as their cellulosic Fabric Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites as reinforcements of concrete, masonry and timber structures for civil engineering applications. This review covers: (1) properties (i.e. chemical composition, microstructure, mechanical properties and cost) of monofilament cellulosic fibres and their comparison with synthetic fibres, the relationship between fibre chemical composition and fibre mechanical properties, parameters affect fibre properties; (2) properties (e.g. fabrication of monofilament fibres to fabrics and structures) of cellulosic fibre fabrics, properties of polymer matrices, and properties (i.e. flexural, tensile, impact, insulation and fire properties) of cellulosic fabric FRP composites; and (3) properties (compressive, flexural and tensile and impact properties) of cellulosic FRC and FRG composites, and the properties of cellulosic FRP composites reinforced concrete, masonry and timber structures. In addition, the degradation mechanisms of cellulosic FRC and FRP are discussed. Furthermore, the durability of FRC, FRG and FRP composites are reviewed and the methods to improve the durability of FRC, FRG and FRP composites from the aspects of fibre modification and matrix modification are reviewed and summarized.

A review of recent research on the use of cellulosic fibres, their fibre fabric reinforced cementitious, geo-polymer and polymer composites in civil engineering

Tensile properties of kenaf fiber due to various conditions of chemical fiber surface modifications

Characteristics of continuous unidirectional kenaf fiber reinforced epoxy composites

According to environmental concerns and financial problems, natural fibers have become interesting and fascinating nowadays to be used as an industrial material and structural material for rehabilitating of structures. Oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (OPF) is a natural fiber which is found a lot in tropical areas. Scientists have used OPF fiber with many types of resins such as epoxy, polypropylene, polyester, and phenol formaldehyde. Therefore, this paper focused on the properties of OPF fiber and gathered mechanical properties of OPF composites (OPF as reinforcement of polymer) reported by other researchers in terms of tensile and flexural properties. Furthermore, the chemical surface modification methods to solve the interfacial bonding of fiber and polymer were mentioned. In addition, the results of hybrid composites of OPF were also discussed in this paper. Meanwhile, the results of composites were compared to pure resin properties and also the stress-strain diagram and internal strain energy of composites were considered. Besides, the effects of adding OPF to other composites to make a new hybrid composite were indicated. Finally, it is clear that the use of oil palm fiber composites for structural elements for bearing loads is not recommended but the usage of OPF composites for secondary structural elements may be recommended due to future researches.

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A Review of Structural Performance of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber in Polymer Composites

Low impact on the environment and low cost are the key drivers for today’s technology uptake. There are many concerns for cement production in terms of negative environmental impact due to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, deficiency of raw materials, as well as high energy consumption. Replacement of the cement by appropriate additives known as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) could result in reduction in GHG emission. Limestone-calcined clay cement (LC3) is a promising binder in the concrete sector for its improvements to environmental impact, durability, and mechanical properties. On the other hand, the advantages of fiber-reinforced concrete such as improved ductility, versatility, and durability have resulted in increasing demand for this type of concrete and introduction of new standards for considering the mechanical properties of fibers in structural design. Thus, using natural fibers instead of synthetic fibers can be another step toward the sustainability of the concrete industry, which is facing increasing demand for cement-based materials. This review studies the potential of natural Kenaf fiber-reinforced concrete containing LC3 binder as a step toward green cementitious composite. While studies show that energy consumption and GHG emission can be reduced and there is a significant potential to enhance mechanical and durability properties of concrete using this composition, adjustment of the mix design, assessing the long-term performance and standardization, are the next steps for the use of the material in practice.

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/1/357/pdf

Natural Kenaf Fiber and LC3 Binder for Sustainable Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composite: A Review

Attaching unidirectional FRP to the tension face of RC beams has provided an increase in stiffness and load capacity of the structure. However, due to the brittle nature of unidirectional FRP, the ductility of the beam decreases. Consequently, the safety of the structure is compromised due to the reduction in ductility. In this paper after the experimental study, three-dimensional nonlinear finite element (FE) models adopted by ANSYS to examine the structural behavior of the reinforced high strength concrete (HSC) beams strengthened with FRP sheets. T he major test variables were included the different layouts of CFRP sheets and tensile reinforcement ratio. More particularly, the change in strength of the beams as the number of FRP layers and tensile reinforcement bar ratio are altered is investigated. Six under-reinforced concrete beams were fabricated and tested to failure. W ith the exception of the control beam, one or four layers of CFRP were applied to the specimens. The crack patterns in the beams are also presented. The load deflection plots obtained from numerical study show good agreement with the experimental results.

Reza Mahjoub

Papers

Tensile properties of kenaf fiber due to various conditions of chemical fiber surface modifications

Characteristics of continuous unidirectional kenaf fiber reinforced epoxy composites

A Review of Structural Performance of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber in Polymer Composites

Natural Kenaf Fiber and LC3 Binder for Sustainable Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composite: A Review

Finite Element Analysis of RC Beams Strengthened with FRP Sheets under Bending