A Review on the Natural Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites for the Development of Roselle Fiber-Reinforced Polyester Composite

Abstract In recent years, the interest of scientists and engineers has turned over on utilizing all plant fibers as effectively and economically as possible to produce good quality fiber-reinforced polymer composites for structural, building, and other needs. It is because of the high availability of the natural resources in this green world. This has led to the development of alternative materials instead of conventional or man-made materials. Among the various natural fibers, roselle fibers were used traditionally in age-old applications in the form of the high-strength ropes and floor mats etc. It is of particular interest because its composites have high tensile strength as in jute, kenaf and hemp, besides having moderate impact strength properties compared with other natural fibers. This paper reviews the research published in the field of natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites, with special reference to the effect of moisture absorption and alkali treatment on the mechanical properties. However, the reviews were extended to the machinability and the application of the soft computing technique for prediction and optimization of mechanical properties and fabrication parameters of natural fiber-reinforced composites for the development of roselle fiber polyester composite. Keywords: roselle fibermechanical propertiesmoisture absorptionalkali treatmentmachinabilitysoft computing