The present work study flexural and tensile behavior of short Kenaf fiber reinforced composites. The fibers are chemically treated in 2% NaOH solution at room temperature. Short fibers of 4mm and 8 mm are used in the present work. The composite lamina is prepared by hand molding using isopthalic polyester resin. Flexural test and tension tests are carried out as per ASTM standards. The flexural...

The present work aims at the chemical characterization of several non-woody fibers from herbaceous plants used for manufacturing high quality paper pulps, with especial emphasis in the composition of lignin and lipophilic compounds. Among the fibers studied are bast fibers from flax, hemp, kenaf and jute and leaf fibers from abaca and sisal. Flax and hemp showed the lowest lignin content (< 5%)...

As kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L., Malvaceae) production in the US continues to increase it is essential to integrate this alternative fiber crop into existing cropping systems. Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr., Fabaceae] is now grown widely in the same production areas where kenaf can be successfully produced. A kenaf/soybean rotational system could have long term economic and pest control advan...

The potential use of natural biopolymer composites in a variety of applications that requires biodegradability and better mechanical properties has renewed many researchers interest on the composites. This research involves the analysis of flexural properties for natural fibers specifically kenaffiber mat in a polylactic acid (PLA) matrix (KMPLA). The polylactic acid has been chosen as a matrix...

The chemical composition of several non-woody plant fibers (bast fibers from flax, hemp, kenaf, jute; leaf fibers from sisal, abaca and curaua; and giant reed), which are used as raw materials for pulp and papermaking, has been evaluated. Particular attention was paid to the composition of the lipophilic compounds and the structure of the lignin polymer since they are important components of th...

Kenaf (Hibiscus Cannabinus L.) is a source of raw material for fiber-based industries and paper production in Malaysia. Normally, matured kenaf can grow up to 4.3 meters in four months and produce yields from 12 tons fibers per hectare. Based on the current management practice, kenaf plant is cultivated by stages which resulting of multi-aged plots for the same growing area. Information of kena...

The objective of this research was to evaluate an all-chemical process to prepare nano-scale to macro-scale cellulosic fibers from kenaf bast fibers, for polymer composite reinforcement. The procedure used in this all-chemical process included alkaline retting to obtain single cellulosic retted fiber, bleaching treatment to obtain delignified bleached fiber, and acidic hydrolysis to obtain both...

Lightweight composites are preferred for automotive applications due to the weight restrictions and also due to the presence of inherent voids that can enhance the sound absorption of these composites. The density of the reinforcing materials plays a crucial role in such lightweight composites. Milkweed is a unique natural cellulose fiber that has a completely hollow center and low density (0.9...

Kenaf (Hibiscus Cannabinus) fibers have received significant attention for replacing the usage of synthetic fibers, especially glass fiber, in fabrication fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. The aim this research was to study change wear behavior kenaf-epoxy fiber composites by filling them with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). In particular, effect untreated MWCNT (PMWCNT), acid-trea...