Evaluation of the Flexural Properties of Pineapple Reinforced Polymer Composite for Automotive and Electrical Applications

Abstract

The interest in natural fibers has been rising in the past decade due to low cost and abundant availability. Though the composites made from artificial fibers possess superior properties when compared to natural fiber reinforced composites, their high cost makes it unviable in day-to-day applications. This paper is an evaluation of a pineapple fiber reinforced composite using epoxy resin as matrix. Glass fibers are provided as the outer layers to improve the surface finish and strength. Using hand lay-up method, fibers of pineapple are assembled in alternate layers of vertical and horizontal orientation. The flexural properties of the composite are determined. Three samples are tested and it is seen that there is no appreciable variation in the properties. The average break load is 1.29 KN and the deflection is 5.533 mm. The flexural strength is calculated as 78.63MPa.