Natural fibers are used as reinforcing materials for more than 2000 years. The need for natural fibers has been emerged due to its weight saving, cost effective, and environmentally superior alternatives to synthetic fibers in composites. The interest in natural fiber reinforced polymer composites has been increased rapidly, due to high performance in mechanical properties, significant processing advantages, and it also provides a solution to environmental pollution. The main objective of this paper is to review and discuss the natural fibers like banana, aloe vera, kenaf, and sisal fibers and their extraction processes.
Malhotra N, Sheikh K and Rani S. A review on mechanical characterization of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites. J Eng Res Stud 2012; III: 75--80.
2.
Saravana BavanDMohan KumarGC. Potential use of natural fiber composite materials in India. J Reinf Plast Compos2010; 29: 3600–3613.
3.
LehtiniemiPDufvaKBergT. Natural fiber-based reinforcements in epoxy composites processed by filament winding. J Reinf Plast Compos2011; 30: 1947–1955.
4.
NunnaSRavi ChandraPShrivastavaS. A review on mechanical behavior of natural fiber based hybrid composites. J Reinf Plast Compos2012; 31: 759–769.
5.
Chawla KK. Composite materials. 2nd ed. New York: Springer, 1995.
6.
ChandramohanDMarimuthuNK. A review on natural fibers. IJRRAS2011; 8: 194–206.
SapuanSMKhoJYZainudinES. Materials selection for natural fiber reinforced polymer composites using analytical hierarchy process. Ind J Eng Mater Sci2011; 18: 255–267.
9.
Abdul KhalilHPSTehraniMADavoudpourY. Natural fiber reinforced poly(vinyl chloride) composites: A review. J Reinf Plast Compos2012; 32: 330–356.
10.
SathishkumarTPNavaneethakrishnanPShankarS. Characterization of natural fiber and composites – A review. J Reinf Plast Compos2013; 32: 1457–1457.
11.
GirishaCSanjeevamurthyMRangasrinivasG. Tensile properties of natural fiber reinforced epoxy composites. Int J Mod Eng Res2012; 2: 471–474.
RayDPNayakLKAmmayappanL. Energy conservation drives for efficient extraction and utilization of banana fibre. Int J Emerg Technol Adv Eng2013; 3: 296–310.
14.
Okafor EC, Ihueze CC and Nwigbo SC. Optimization of hardness strength response of plantain fibers reinforced polyester composites, (PFRP) applying Taguchi robust design. IJE Trans A Basics 2013; 26: 1--11.
15.
Ihueze CC, Okafor EC and Ujam AJ. Optimization of hardness strength response of plantain fibers reinforced polyester composites, (PFRP) applying Taguchi robust design. Innov Syst Des Eng 2012; 3: 62--76.
16.
Chimekwene CP, Fagbemi EA and Ayeke PO. Mechanical properties of plantain empty fruit bunch fiber reinforced epoxy composites. Int J Res Eng 2012; 2: 86--94.
17.
Mukhopadhyay S, Fangueiro R, Arpac Y and Senturk U. Banana fibers – variability and fracture behaviour. J Eng Fibers Fabrics 2008; 3: 39--45.
18.
BoopalanMNiranjanaaMUmapathyMJ. Study on the mechanical properties and thermal properties of Jute and banana fiber reinforced epoxy hybrid composites. Compos Part B2013; 51: 54–57.
19.
VenkateshwaranNElayaperumalASathiyaGK. Prediction of tensile properties of hybrid-natural fiber composites. Compos Part B2012; 43: 793–796.
Bin Ishak MR. A comparison of mechanical properties between kenaf core fiber and kenaf bast fiber reinforced polyester composites. Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, May 2007.
30.
SallehZTaibYMHyieKM. Fracture toughness investigation on long kenaf/woven glass hybrid composite due to water absorbtion effect. Proc Eng2012; 41: 1667–1667.
31.
NittaYGodaKNodaJ. Cross sectional area evaluation and tensile properties of alkali treated Kenaf fibers. Compos Part A2013; 49: 132–138.
32.
JeyanthiSJanci raniJ. Improving mechanical properties by kenaf natural long fiber reinforced composite for automotive structures. J Appl Sci Eng2012; 15: 275–280.
Westman MP, Fifield LS, Simmons KL, et al. Natural fiber composites: A review. U.S. Department of Energy, under contract DE-AC05-76R01830, PNNL – 19220.
35.
AlavudeenAThiruchitrambalamMVenkateshwaranN. Review on natural fiber reinforced woven composite. Rev Adv Mater Sci2011; 27: 146–150.
36.
ThiruchitrambalamMAlavudeenAVenkateshwaranN. Review on kenaf fiber composites. Rev Adv Mater Sci2012; 32: 106–112.
37.
AkilHMOmarMFMazukiAAM. Kenaf fiber reinforced composites: A review. Mater Des2011; 32: 4107–4121.
Indira KN, Parameswaranpillai J and Thomas S. Mechanical properties and failure topography of banana fiber PF macro composites fabricated by RTM and CM techniques. Hindawi Publishing Corporation, ISRN Polymer Science, Volume 2013, Article ID 936048, 8 pages, http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/936048.
57.
HariprasadTDharmalingamGPraveen RajP. Study of mechanical properties of banana-coir hybrid composite using experimental and FEM techniques. J Mech Eng Sci (JMES)2013; 4: 518–531.
58.
VenkatasubramanianHChaithanyanCRaghuramanS. Evaluation of mechanical properties of abaca-glass-banana fiber reinforced hybrid composites. Int J Innov Res Sci Eng Technol2014; 3: 8169–8177.
59.
SakthivelRRajendranD. Experimental investigation and analysis a mechanical properties of hybrid polymer composite plates. Int J Res Eng Sci2014; 2: 46–57.
60.
SinghVKGopePCSakshiC. Mechanical behavior of banana fiber based hybrid biocomposites. J Mater Environ Sci2012; 3: 185–194.
61.
SharmaNKKumarV. Studies on properties of banana fiber reinforced green composite. J Reinf Plast Compos2013; 32: 525–532.
62.
RibotNMHAhmadZMustaffaNK. Mechanical properties of kenaf fiber composite using co-cured in-line fiber joint. Int J Eng Sci Technol2011; 3: 3526–3534.
63.
Mohd Yuhazri Y, Phongsakorn PT, Sihambing H, et al. Mechanical properties of kenaf/polyster composites. Int J Eng Technol 2011; 11: 106--110.
64.
Kishor KumaraKRamesh BabubPRaja Narender ReddyK. Evaluation of flexural and tensile properties of short kenaf fiber reinforced green composites. Int J Adv Mech Eng2014; 4: 371–380.
65.
SamivelPRamesh BabuA. Mechanical behavior of stacking sequence in kenaf and banana fiber reinforced-polyester laminate. Int J Mech Eng Rob Res2013; 2: 348–360.
66.
SardarKVeereshKGowdaM. Characterization and investigation of tensile test on kenaf fiber reinforced polyester composite material. Int J Rec Dev Eng Technol2014; 2: 102–112.
67.
Abdullah AH, Alias SK, Jenal N, et al. Fatigue behavior of kenaf fibre reinforced epoxy composites. Eng J 2012; 16: 105--113.
68.
Bhutta MAR, Nur Hafizah AK, Jamaludin MY, et al. Strengthening reinforced concrete beams using kenaf fiber reinforced polymer composite laminates. In: Third international conference on sustainable construction materials and technologies.http://www.claisee.info/Proceedings.htm, Japan, 2013, Paper No. 506.
JosephKTolêdo FilhoRDJamesB. A review on sisal fiber reinforced polymer composites. Rev Bras Eng Agríc Ambien1999; 3: 367–379.
72.
Cecília MilaneseAOdila Hilário CioffiMJacobus Cornelis VoorwaldH. Flexural behavior of sisal/castor oil-based polyurethane and sisal/phenolic composites. Mater Res2012; 15: 191–197.
73.
ChaithanyanCVenkatasubramanianHRaghuramanS. Evaluation of mechanical properties of coir-sisal reinforced hybrid composites using isophthalic polyester resin. Int J Innov Res Sci Eng Technol2013; 2: 7479–7487.
74.
GirishaCSanjeevamurthyMSrinivasGR. Sisal/coconut coir natural fibers–epoxy composites: Water absorption and mechanical properties. Int J Eng Innov Technol2012; 2: 166–170.
75.
Arumuga PrabuVManikandanVUthayakumarM. Investigations on the mechanical properties of red mud filled sisal and banana fiber reinforced polyester composites. Mater Phys Mech2012; 15: 173–179.
76.
ParidaSPandaMParijaA. Thermal studies of different agrowaste reinforced Novolac composites prepared under isothermal conditions. Res J Pharmaceut Biol Chem Sci2014; 5: 1580–1580.
77.
Jeyasekaran S and Palanikumar K. Mechanical property evaluation of aloevera reinforced polymer composites, working paper.
