Tensile properties prediction of natural fibre composites using rule of mixtures: A review

Abstract

Rule of mixture models are usually used in the tensile properties prediction of polymer composites reinforced with synthetic fibres. They are less utilized for natural fibre/polymer composites due to natural fibres physical and mechanical properties variability which reduces rule of mixture model's prediction values accuracy compared to the experimental values. This had led to studies conducted by various researchers to improve the existing rule of mixture models to give a better reflection of the true natural fibres properties and enhance the rule of mixture models prediction accuracy. In this paper, rule of mixture model's utilization includes the existing rule of mixture models as well as proposed rule of mixture models which have one or more factors incorporated into existing rule of mixture models for natural fibre/polymer composites tensile properties prediction are reviewed.