Manufacturing and Processing of Kenaf Fibre-Reinforced Epoxy Composites via Different Methods

Abstract

The twenty-fi rst century is the century of inconsistency regarding transformation, industrial development, environmental crisis, and technological growth. All these are associated with the attempts to minimise the dependence on petroleum- based fuels and products which leads to an increasing need to investigate more sustainable materials and environmentally friendly products to replace existing materials. Lignocellulosic fi brous polymeric composite materials are an attractive replacement for heavier metals due to their comparative superior fatigue and corrosion properties in many applications with respect to other synthetic and ceramics materials. This chapter considers the manufacturing methods by a variety of possible and diverse methods that permit the conversion of kenaf bast (stem) fi bres to reinforced epoxy composites into a wide variety of applications and industrial products with properties that are comparable to existing synthetic composites. Among the various method compression moulding and resin transfer moulding processes are the most commonly used for engineered composites involving both thermoplastics and thermosets; but resin infusion is prior for thermosets. The properties of natural fi bre-reinforced polymer composites are generally governed by the pretreated process of fi bre and the manufacturing process of the composites. The performance of a composite material varies greatly with the choice of suitable processing techniques along with the fi bre–matrix bond strength.