Extraction procedure and tensile properties of Dharbai and Christmas palm natural fibres

Abstract

A new variety of natural fibres has been extracted from Dharbai and Christmas palm for their use as reinforcement in polymer matrix composites. The tensile properties and cross-section area of Dharbai and Christmas palm fibres have been evaluated experimentally and compared with natural fibres such as sisal, banana and coir which are already used as reinforcement in polymer composite. Monofilament test has been used to study the tensile properties of the fibres and Rapid-I machine vision system is used to determine the diameter of the fibres. Density of the fibre is determined using picnometric procedure. The investigation confirms that Dharbai and Christmas palm fibres could be effectively used as reinforcement materials in the natural fibre reinforced polymer composites.