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Review
. 2021 Jan 28;13(3):423.
doi: 10.3390/polym13030423.

Potential of Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites in Sandwich Structures: A Review on Its Mechanical Properties

S Alsubari  1 , M Y M Zuhri  1   2 , S M Sapuan  1   2 , M R Ishak  2   3   4 , R A Ilyas  5   6 , M R M Asyraf  3
Affiliations
Review

Potential of Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites in Sandwich Structures: A Review on Its Mechanical Properties

S Alsubari et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

The interest in using natural fiber reinforced composites is now at its highest. Numerous studies have been conducted due to their positive benefits related to environmental issues. Even though they have limitations for some load requirements, this drawback has been countered through fiber treatment and hybridization. Sandwich structure, on the other hand, is a combination of two or more individual components with different properties, which when joined together can result in better performance. Sandwich structures have been used in a wide range of industrial material applications. They are known to be lightweight and good at absorbing energy, providing superior strength and stiffness-to-weight ratios, and offering opportunities, through design integration, to remove some components from the core element. Today, many industries use composite sandwich structures in a range of components. Through good design of the core structure, one can maximize the strength properties, with a low density. However, the application of natural fiber composites in sandwich structures is still minimal. Therefore, this paper reviewed the possibility of using a natural fiber composite in sandwich structure applications. It addressed the mechanical properties and energy-absorbing characteristics of natural fiber-based sandwich structures tested under various compression loads. The results and potential areas of improvement to fit into a wide range of engineering applications were discussed.

Keywords: core structure; honeycomb; mechanical properties; natural fiber; polymer composites; sandwich structure.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of water absorption of natural fiber on mechanical properties of composite laminate:(a) fibre swells after moisture absorption,(b) capillary mechanism water molecules flow along fibre-matrix interface, (c) water soluble substance leach from fibres, and (d) ultimate fibre-debonding [43].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Examples of core shapes for sandwich structures [51].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Energy absorption of sandwich panels under different impact energies: (a) sandwich panels with different face sheets, (b) sandwich panels with homogeneous and various graded foam cores [64].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Average properties of sandwich specimens: (a) compression stiffness, (b) specific compression stiffness, (c) peak load, and (d) energy absorption [82].
Figure 5
Figure 5
A comparison between the energy absorption capacities per unit mass of competing metallic and composite grids sandwich panels, as reported in [83].
Figure 6
Figure 6
The compression strength and energy absorption of (a,b) flax/PP and (c,d) flax/PLA interlocking structures [88].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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