Abstract

Natural fiber thermoplastic components in the automotive industry can afford the advantages of weight, cost reduction and recyclability, compared to conventional materials. Handlings of natural fibers in automotive exterior and interior components are essential to recover eco-efficiency and renewability. Natural fibers have recently become affordable to automotive industry as an alternative reinforcement for glass fiber reinforced thermoplastics. The best way to boost the fuel efficiency without sacrificing safety is to employ fiber reinforced composite materials in the body of the cars so that weight reduction can be achieved. The goals are to amplify the performance of the long fiber thermoplastics (LFRT) components by replacing the glass fibers with natural kenaf fiber and also to trim down the production cost. This research is focused on development of partially eco-friendly injection molded hybrid long fiber reinforced thermo plastics with natural kenaf fiber by impregnation process to improve the desired mechanical, thermal properties and recycling of the automotive components.

Key words: Long fiber reinforced thermoplastics, kenaf fiber, hybrid, impregnation process.