On the analysis of force during secondary processing of natural fiber‐reinforced composite laminates

The rising concern regarding global warming has ignited a quest in the research fraternity towards development of sustainable materials that can reduce the carbon footprint. Natural fiber reinforced composites have made an excellent impression in the area of sustainable development because of their environmental and ecological aspects. These materials are widely used for manufacturing of engineering products. But, the use of natural fiber composites for engineering applications necessitates making of holes in order to ascertain assembly of several components by means of mechanical fastening. In this research endeavor, the drilling behavior of nettle/polypropylene (PP) composites has been experimentally investigated. The relative significance of the input process variables has also been studied with the help of statistical technique called analysis of variance (ANOVA). The present study established few significant facts in context of drilling of natural fiber reinforced composites. It has been observed that the facts established for drilling of synthetic fiber reinforced thermoset composites cannot be directly applied for natural fiber reinforced composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:164–174, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers