Effect of fiber loading on Thermal properties of Banana and Pineapple leaf fiber Reinforced Polyester Composites

Natural fiber based composites are under intensive study due to their ecofriendly nature and peculiar properties. The advantage of natural fibers is their continuous supply, easy and safe handling, and biodegradable nature. Although natural fibers exhibit admirable physical and mechanical properties, it varies with the plant source, species, geography, and so forth. The main focus of this study is on thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity characterization of banana and pineapple leaf fiber reinforced polyester composites with respect to fiber content and temperature. Banana and Pineapple leaf fibers have been used as reinforcement in polyester resin with various volume fractions of 0.112, 0.166, 0.213, 0.274 and 0.346. The results revealed that the thermal conductivity of composite decreased with increase in fiber content and the quite opposite trend was observed with respect to temperature. The specific heat capacity of the composite as measured by differential scanning calorimeter showed similar trend as that of the thermal conductivity. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.