Experimental Analysis of Coir Fiber Sheet Reinforced Epoxy Resin Composite

In recent years, the industrial demand for composite materials is increasing rapidly. However, most composite materials are produced from synthetic fibers and resins. As a result, the current production of composite materials still has many problems and the most worrying concern is the environment and human health. From those challenges, natural fiber composite is gradually becoming a worldwide research and development trend. Natural fibers are an abundant and renewable resource, so their cost is relatively low compared with other conventional fibers. They are eco-friendly, biodegradable and reduce the problem of solid waste production when used to replace non-degradable fillers. The objective of this study is to approach and learn about natural fiber composite, which is divided into two main stages. In the first one, we learn about natural fibers and matrixes of natural fiber composites. In the second stage, material testing experiments were performed on the coir fiber sheet reinforced epoxy resin composites to determine their mechanical properties as well as to find the mechanical properties of the coir fiber sheet using the rule of mixtures theory. The experimental results show that the non-split coir fiber sheet has the similar properties with ones of single coir fiber and results in a higher mechanical performance compared to the split coir fiber sheet. Additionally, the results show a medium stiffness, small density and low-cost composite material. Therefore, the further purpose of this study is to apply natural fiber composites in aeronautical engineering such as manufacturing small unmanned aerial vehicle. (paper)