Ismail Shah^1,2, Jing Li^1,2,*, Shengyuan Yang¹, Yubo Zhang¹, Aftab Anwar^1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.5, pp. 1307-1320, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.017513

Abstract Recently, addition of various natural fibers to high strength concrete has aroused great interest in the field of building materials. This is because natural fibers are much cheaper and locally available, as compare to synthetic fibers. Keeping in view, this current research conducted mainly focuses on the static properties of hybridized (sisal/coir), sisal and coir fiber-reinforced concrete. Two types of natural fibers sisal and coir were used in the experiment with different lengths of 10, 20 and 30 mm and various natural fiber concentrations of 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% by mass of cement, to investigate the static properties of sisal… More > Graphic Abstract

Vignesh Sekar^1,*, Se Yong Eh Noum¹, Azma Putra², Sivakumar Sivanesan¹, Kok Chun Chin¹, Yi San Wong¹, Dg Hafizah Kassim³

Sound & Vibration, Vol.55, No.4, pp. 343-352, 2021, DOI:10.32604/sv.2021.014916

Abstract This paper presents the development and performance of micro-perforated panels (MPP) from natural fiber reinforced composites. The MPP is made of Polylactic Acid (PLA) reinforced with Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber (OPEFBF). The investigation was made by varying the fiber density, air gap, and perforation ratio to observe the effect on the Sound Absorption Coefficient (SAC) through the experiment in an impedance tube. It is found that the peak level of SAC is not affected, but the peak frequency shifts to lower frequency when the fiber density is increased. This phenomenon might be due to the presence of porosity… More >

Jorge Neto, Henrique Queiroz, Ricardo Aguiar, Rosemere Lima, Daniel Cavalcanti, Mariana Doina Banea^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.3, pp. 561-589, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.017434

Abstract Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites (NFRCs) have demonstrated great potential for many different applications in various industries due to their advantages compared to synthetic fiber-reinforced composites, such as low environmental impact and low cost. However, one of the drawbacks is that the NFRCs present relatively low mechanical properties and the absorption of humidity due to the hydrophilic characteristic of the natural fibre. One method to increase their performance is hybridization. Therefore, understanding the properties and potential of using multiple reinforcement’s materials to develop hybrid composites is of great interest. This paper provides an overview of the recent advances in hybrid… More > Graphic Abstract

N. S. B. Yusof^1,2, S. M. Sapuan^1,3,*, M. T. H. Sultan^1,4, M. Jawaid¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.6, pp. 647-660, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.08309

Abstract In this study, the best manufacturing process will be selected to build an automotive crash box using green oil palm natural fibre-reinforced polyurethane composite materials. This paper introduces an approach consist of technical aspects (T), the economic point of view (E) and availability (A), and it’s also called as TEA requirement. This approach was developed with the goal of assisting the design engineer in the selection of the best manufacturing process during the design phase at the criteria selection stage. In this study, the TEA requirement will integrate with the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to assist decision makers or manufacturing… More >

M. A. Shaharuzaman^1,2,3, S. M. Sapuan^1,4,*, M. R. Mansor^2,3, M. Y. M. Zuhri^1,4

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.5, pp. 549-563, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.08769

Abstract This paper presents the conceptual design stage in the product development process of a natural fiber composites of the side-door impact beam, which starts from idea generation to the selection of the best design concept. This paper also demonstrates the use of the integrated Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (Function-Oriented Search) (TRIZ (FOS)) and Biomimetics method, as well as the VIseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method. The aim of this study was to generate design concepts that were inspired by nature and to select the best design concept for the composite side-door impact beam. Subsequently, eight design concepts were… More >

M. A. Shaharuzaman^1,2,4, S. M. Sapuan^1,3,*, M. R. Mansor^2,4, M. Y. M. Zuhri^1,3

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.10, pp. 997-1010, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.07529

Abstract The enforcement on sustainable design and environmental-friendly products has attracted the interest of researchers and engineers in the context of replacing metals and synthetic fibers with natural based fibers, especially in the automotive industry. However, studies on sustainable natural fiber material selection in the automotive industry are limited. Evaluation for the side-door impact beam was conducted by gathering product design specification from literature which amounted to seven criteria and it was forwarded to ten decision makers with automotive engineering and product design background for evaluation. The weightage required for decision-making was obtained using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method based… More >

Daniel Scida^1,*, Sébastien Alix¹, Stéphane Buet¹, El Hadi Saidane¹, François Courmont^1,2, Karim Behlouli², Rezak Ayad¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.9, pp. 865-875, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.06609

Abstract This work aims at studying the effect of hygrothermal and UV cyclic aging on the tensile properties and esthetic characteristics of non-woven composites. The composite materials were thermo-compressed from non-woven mats made up of PP and flax or kenaf fibers. This works included evaluating the change in color appearance and analyzing the variations in tensile properties and damage mechanisms, depending on the aging time. The presence of the UV protection film on the composite surface showed its effectiveness against aging. From visual observations and measurement of colorimetric parameters, it has been proved effective in the reduction of the bleaching and… More >

Ahmad Safwan¹, Mohammad Jawaid^1*, Mohamed T. H. Sultan^1,2, Azman Hassan³

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.5, pp. 529-535, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2018.634103

Abstract The application of natural fibers as reinforcement in composite material has increased due to environmental concerns, low cost, degradability and health concerns. The purpose of this study is to identify the best type of bamboo fibers to be used as reinforcement for kenaf (K)/bamboo hybrid composite. There were three types of bamboo fibers evaluated in this study which include bamboo mat (B), bamboo fabric (BF) and bamboo powder (BP). Chemical composition of B, BF, BP and K fibers were analyzed in this study. The effect of different types of bamboo fibers on tensile, impact, and morphological properties were investigated. The… More >

Meriem Fehri^1,2, Rachid Robleh Ragueh¹, Alexandre Vivet^1*, Fakhreddine Dammak², Mohamed Haddar²

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.1, pp. 38-47, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634123

Abstract The purpose of this work is the improvement of flax fiber-reinforced composites obtained by vacuum molding in order to encourage their insertion into industrial products. The relatively high degree of porosity in these kinds of composites, due to the lack of compatibility between epoxy matrix and flax fibers and the hydrophilicity of flax fiber, remains a major constraint to their use in the industrial world. Hence, we have used a combination of carbon fibers with those of flax in order to optimize the properties of the assembly. Several stacking sequences have been tested in order to analyze the influence of… More >

Arunjunairaj Mahendran^1*, Günter Wuzella¹, Thomas Hardt-Stremayr¹, Wolfgang Gindl-Altmutter²

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.4, No.3, pp. 215-224, 2016, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634110

Abstract Woven natural fiber-reinforced composites were fabricated using four different flax fabrics and two biobased epoxy resin matrices. The reinforced composites were prepared using resin infusion technique and fiber volume fractions of between 28–35% were achieved using this method. The fiber matrix interaction and the failure mechanism in the composite were observed using scanning electron microscopy. The flexural strength and modulus on the warp and weft directions were characterized and it was found that based on yarn count and yarn thickness change in the flexural strength was observed. Dynamic water absorption and thickness swelling were observed for a certain period of… More >