Investigation of Physical and Mechanical Properties of Sisal Fiber Reinforced and Luffa Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites for Automobile Applications

The automotive sector is actively seeking sustainable, renewable, and cost-effective alternatives to synthetic fibers for manufacturing various automobile parts. Present study explores the physical and mechanical characteristics of natural fibers luffa (Luffa cylindrica) and sisal (Agave sisalana), for their prospective use in composite materials. The composites fabricated by hand layup method were characterized in terms of their tensile strength, flexural strength, impact resistance, hardness, water absorption, thickness swelling and density. The fiber weight fractions were taken as 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%. The results indicate that both luffa and sisal fiber reinforced composites exhibit promising mechanical properties. Sisal reinforced composites showed higher tensile strength and flexural properties, while luffa composites demonstrated excellent impact resistance.