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The natural fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials offered extensive range of properties which are suitable for large number of engineering application. The natural fibers have been abundantly available in the world. It has unique properties compared to synthetic fiber and reduces the plastic usage. This article reports the extraction process of natural fibers, characterization of natural fibers, and preparation of natural fiber-reinforced composites. The mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural, impact, and dynamic properties as well as thermal and machinability properties of the composites with and without chemically treated fibers were reported. The water absorption capability of the composites and its effect on mechanical properties were also reported.

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Naturally woven coconut sheath, a new natural fiber available in the form of woven mat is used as fiber reinforcement in polyester matrix. The hybridization effect of montmorillonite (MMT) on naturally woven coconut sheath/polyester composite has been investigated experimentally for free vibration characteristics using impulse excitation technique (IET). In the present study, naturally woven coconut sheath/clay-reinforced hybrid polyester composites were fabricated using a compression molding machine. The effect of organoclay addition (1, 2, 3 and 5 wt%), alkali (ATC) and silane treatment (STC) of the coconut sheath surface on free vibration characteristics were analyzed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were used to characterize the morphology of coconut sheath and structure of clay dispersed polyester. The dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis were carried out to analyze the effect of surface topology on chemically treated coconut sheath. The mechanism of chemical modifications on natural frequencies and the resultant improvement in the temperature dependence mechanical properties have also been reported. Enhanced vibration properties are observed up to 3 wt% of clay dispersion in hybrid composites, then it gets reduced for higher clay (>3 wt%) content. Modal damping of the hybrid composite is influenced by the addition of nanoclay and the surface treatments of the coconut sheath. Experimentally obtained natural frequencies are in good agreement with analytical and numerical results.

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