Development and Characterization of Natural-Fiber-Based Composite Panels

The emphasis on sustainability in materials related to the construction and transportation sectors has renewed interest in the usage of natural fibers. In this manuscript, a different perspective is taken in adopting oil palm fibers (OPF) to develop composite panels and understand their acoustic, mechanical, and water susceptibility (including warm water analysis) properties to provide an insight into the potential of these panels for further exploration. The binder for these composite panels is a water-based acrylic resin, and for reinforcement purposes, fly ash and other metal oxides are used. It is shown that the presence of fibers positively influences the acoustic absorption coefficient in the critical mid-frequency range of 1000-3000 Hz. Even the noise reduction coefficient values highlighting the octave band are higher by more than 50% in the presence of fibers as compared to traditional refractory boards. Quasistatic indentation and drop-weight tests have also highlighted the excellent performance of the composite panels developed in this work. Though the water immersion tests on composite panels and subsequent analysis showed relatively minor changes in their performance, the immersion of the panels in caustic warm water for 56 days has resulted in their severe degradation with a loss of more than 65% in flexural strength.