Acoustic and mechanical characterisation of polypropylene composites reinforced by natural fibres for automotive applications

Abstract

In recent days, polymer composites reinforced with natural fiber had shown greater focus and interest in the production of environmentally sustainable materials and in part in the replacement of synthetic fibers commonly used in automotive applications. In this study, an attempt has been made to investigate the effect of natural fibers obtained for composite preparation from milkweed, kusha grass, sisal, banana and hay mixed with polypropylene 10:90 (wt %). Mechanical properties such as tensile strength and hardness have been determined in accordance with ASTM standards. Water absorption studies have also been done to investigate the water's absorption ability. The acoustic characterization of these natural reinforced fiber composites is measured by a thickness of 10 mm and 20 mm. The result has shown that an increase in thickness is not effective at higher acoustic absorption frequencies. Scanning electron microscope analyzes microstructures of milkweed fiber. These results identify suitable materials for different mechanical and automotive applications.

Keywords

• Polypropylene
• Natural fiber
• Thickness
• Acoustic.