Studies on the Tribological Behavior of Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite

Abstract

The gradual development of asbestos in automotive friction materials in many parts of the world has sparked the onset of extensive research and development into safer alternatives. The development of green friction products for automotive application is important to minimize the environmental impacts caused by asbestos-based products. Natural fibers have been used to reinforce materials for over thousand years. More recently, they have been employed in combination with plastics. Natural fibers are environmentally friendly, fully biodegradable, abundantly available, renewable and cheap and have low density. Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites have emerged as a potential environmentally friendly and cost-effective option to synthetic fiber reinforced composites. The availability of natural fibers and ease of manufacturing have tempted researchers to study their feasibility of reinforcement and to what extent they satisfy the required specifications for good reinforced polymer composite for tribological applications. In this study, a review on the tribological behavior of natural fiber reinforced composites was made to understand their usability for various automotive applications. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012.