Investigation on the Tensile and Flexural Properties of Coir-fibre- reinforced Polypropylene Composites

The utilization of natural fibres as reinforcement in polymer composites has been increased significantly for their lightweight, low cost, high specific strength, modulus and biodegradable characteristic. In this present work, the mechanical properties of randomly distributed short coir-fibre-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites have been studied as a function of fibre loading. In order to improve the composite’s mechanical properties, raw coir fibres were treated with 1 % alkali (NaOH) solution. Both raw and alkali treated coir-fibre-reinforced PP composites were prepared wit