In the recent years, the research about polyurethane (PU) composites (thermoplastic, thermoset, biobased polyurethane with synthetic fibers (glass, aramid and carbon) and natural fibers used as reinforcement of polymers has been increased due to their biodegradability, lightness, reduced cost and favorable mechanical properties. Unique mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties of Polyurethanes (thermoset/thermoplastic) can be designed by the reaction of various polyhydric compounds (polyols) and polyisocyanates which is derived from the formation of cross-linked polyurethanes. One of the challenges that researchers face today is to achieve satisfactory interfacial bonding which will result in products with better mechanical and thermal properties. Composites having better mechanical and thermal properties could find more industrial applications and consequently would have greater commercial acceptance. However, this is difficult due to the hydrophilicity of the fibers and the hydrophobicity of polymers such as polyurethane. In this review paper, comprehensive review about PU and its polymer composites were presented with concentrating on the effect of the different kinds of natural and synthetic fibers on the PU based polymer composites products. We also discussed the effect of chemical treatments of natural fibers on improvement of interfacial bonding between natural fiber and polyurethane matrix for development of advanced materials with better mechanical and thermal properties.
In the design of automotive components, substitution of metal with natural fibre as base material is commonly found due to high-energy consumption in producing metal components that affects the environment. Therefore, in this study, natural fibres were selected for a hybrid bio-composite material in the design for an automotive anti-roll bar in order to determine the suitable natural fibre that could satisfy the requirements both of customers and the environment. The study was performed using a combination of Analytic Hierarchy Process and Quality Function Deployment for Environment. In making the final decision, life cycle assessment was performed to support the environmental requirements. The results show that sugar palm fibre is the fibre that can best satisfy the design requirements, with 21.51 % of the total score, followed by kenaf, which obtained 20.18 %. Lastly, both the fibres were compared for the life cycle assessment and the results show that sugar palm has a 10 % lower impact on the environment due to its lower energy consumption and CO 2 footprint. Hence, sugar palm fibre is selected as the material to use in the hybrid bio-composite for the automotive anti-roll bar.
Materials selection in manufacturing process is an important stage and should be performed in parallel with selection of manufacturing process. In automotive industry, production of green automotive component could utilize the natural sources such as plant fibres. In recent years, several multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques are suggested to choose the best materials for particular application. Materials selection tools for natural fibre composites are studied from past researchers with the summary of the advantage and disadvantages. In addition, new optimization approach in materials selection by using statistical analysis such as multiple linear regression (MLR), response surface methodology (RSM) and Taguchi method (TM) is proposed in this study. The proposed method could evaluate the criteria or attribute in materials selection precisely by analyse the relationship of the parameters, goodness of fit, correlation, analysis of variance (ANOVA), determination of coefficient and the significant criteria in to the desired goal of the design problem.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.