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 - 12 May 2020

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… 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 - 29 April 2020

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.… 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… 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 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 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 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 More >

Estela Krause Sammartino^1,2,3†, María Marta Reboredo⁴, Mirta I. Aranguren^*,4

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.4, No.2, pp. 101-112, 2016, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634144

Abstract Composites made from polypropylene (PP) and local South American fibers traditionally used in yarnderived craftsmanships, Caranday Palm, were studied regarding the effect of fiber addition, concentration and characteristics of the coupling agent (molecular weight and percentage of grafted maleic anhydride), as well as type of processing. A laboratory-scale intensive mixing followed by compression, and pilot plant twin extrusion followed by injection, were the two processes investigated. The use of the first one allowed the selection of processable formulations with high fiber concentration and a percentage of coupling agent below the surface fiber saturation. In fact,… More >

K. M. Hess, W. V. Srubar III^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.3, pp. 175-182, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634106

Abstract This article concerns the development and characterization of a protein-based alternative to traditional fiberreinforced polymer (FRP) composites used in construction. In this work, gelatin-based resins were prepared at various gelatin-to-water (g/w) ratios. The effects of g/w ratio and curing time on resin mechanical properties were investigated. Using gelatin resins with a 30% g/w ratio, (i) gelatin-flax and (ii) gelatin-fiberglass composites were fabricated, and their mechanical properties were characterized and compared to both (iii) epoxy-flax and (iv) epoxy-fiberglass composites. Fracture surface morphologies were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Results indicate that gelatin-flax composites exhibit similar mechanical More >

Neeraj Dubey¹, Geeta Agnihotri¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.45, No.1, pp. 39-56, 2015, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2015.045.039

Abstract In this paper, midrib of coconut palm leaves (MCL) was investigated for the purpose of development of natural fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites. A new natural fiber composite as MCL/polyester is developed by the hand lay-up method, and the material and mechanical properties of the fiber, matrix and composite materials were evaluated. The effect of fiber content on the tensile, flexural, impact, compressive strength and heat distortion temperature (HDT) was investigated. It was found that the MCL fiber had the maximum tensile strength, tensile modulus flexural strength, flexural modulus and Izod impact strength of 177.5MPa, More >