Potential of natural fiber based polymeric composites for cleaner automotive component production -a comprehensive review

Abstract

Automotive industries have l been trying to shift towards cellulosic based composites because of their properties like high modulus, high strength, ease of modification, less pollution, light weight, etc,. These natural/cellulosic fibers are abundantly available in nature in the form agricultural wastes, for example sugarcane bagasse, cotton linter, rice husk, etc,. Natural fibers are now widely used in industries other than automobile due to the above stated advantages. The main impediments of using natural fibers are, 1) thermal stability, 2) compatibility issues and moderate interfacial interaction etc,. This review investigates the potential of cellulosic fiber based polymeric composites for automotive application. In particular, this review focuses on the effects of incorporating natural/cellulosic fibers on the performance of automotive body, anti-roll bar, bumper, leaf Spring, helical spring and gears. Another focus area for this paper was an extensive review on its best applications in the automotive sector, detailed information about the type of fiber and their use in the specific automotive sector is tabulated. It was found that cellulosic/natural fiber based polymeric composites can be an efficient alternative for man-made synthetic fibers in the automotive sectors.

Keywords

• Natural fiber
• Nanocellulose
• Polymeric composites
• Automotive parts
• Composites