Development, Testing and characterization of Epoxy-Cotton Fiber - Polymer Composites

Natural fibers have been used to reinforce materials for many years. More currently they have been employed in combination with plastics. Many types of natural fibers have been investigated for use in plastics including flax, hemp, jute, cotton and banana. Natural fibers have the advantage that they are renewable resources and have marketing appeal. These agricultural wastes can be used to prepare fiber reinforced polymer composites for commercial use. Application of composite materials to structures has presented the need for the engineering analysis. The present work focuses on the fabrication of polymer matrix composites by using the natural fibers like coir, banana and cotton which are abundant in the nature. The material characteristics (flexural modulus, flexural rigidity, hardness number, % gain of water) of the fabricated polymer matrix natural fiber composites has been studied by conducting tests like flexural test, hardness test, water absorption test, impact test, density test, on sections of the material. The aim of the present study is to examine the mechanical properties of the cotton fiber reinforced epoxy based composites. Cotton fibers with varying number of ply’s are reinforced in epoxy resin to manufacture composite materials. The outcome of cotton fiber content on the mechanical behavior of composites has been studied.