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.

This study evaluates the influence of hybridization on the flammability, thermal, dynamic mechanical and impact properties of bamboo–glass hybrid polypropylene composites. Flammability tests using cone calorimetry show that the hybrid composites performed better than the glass–polypropylene (GPP) composites, exhibiting a minimum reduction of 19% on the heat release rate (HRR) and smoke release as well as taking longer to ignite. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) reveals that the hybrid composites are thermally more stable before starting to degrade at 275°C and fully degraded at 400°C. The dynamic mechanical analysis shows an increase in the storage modulus indicating higher stiffness and lower damping ratio in the case of hybrid composites. The charpy impact strength of the hybrid composites was increased to 1129.2 J m ⁻¹ compared to 530.9 J m ⁻¹ of bamboo–polypropylene composites. These results indicate that, by replacing several layers of glass with bamboo fabric in GPP composites, a hybrid concept is feasible for developing an excellent and economical lightweight composite.

Rheological behaviour is an important factor affecting the flow behaviour of a fluid and many aspects related to this, mainly in the manufacturing process of fiber reinforced composites, either for Newtonian fluids or non-Newtonian fluids. During impregnation process, the viscosity changes with temperatures and their strain rate, has influenced the resin flow behaviour during curing process. In this paper, a review on the rheological studies of fiber reinforced composites for both, synthetic and natural based fibers, respectively, are presented. In addition to that, this review paper highlighting a few research studies conducted in literature on the main factors that affecting the rheological quality and performance of the composites. The aims of this review, mainly to capture the trend ranging from the recent five years back and summarize the various studies via experimental, theoretical or modelling works. Furthermore, also aiming to provide an ideal baseline information in the selection of the methods regarding rheological study to ensure better quality of pre-preg product and fibre reinforced composites can be produced in the author’s future work.

Many automotive companies are experimenting with natural fibres as a substitute for glass fibres in polymer composites, especially polypropylene (PP) based composites. PP composites reinforced by plain woven bamboo fabric have recently been widely investigated. Bamboo in woven fabric form embedded in the polymer results in easier material handling during production and reduction in the manufacturing cost of the composites. In the current study, the performance of twill-weave bamboo fabric-reinforced PP composites, which were fabricated using a compression moulding method, was evaluated. The mechanical, thermal and impact performances of the bamboo fabric-reinforced PP (BPP) composites were evaluated in comparison to those of PP, at various bamboo contents and stacking sequences. The incorporation of bamboo fabric resulted in the improvement of tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus and Charpy impact strength of PP by 238%, 110%, 180%, 170% and 160%, respectively. The integration of bamboo fabric slightly increased the melting temperature and the degree of crystallinity of the composites. A 40% decrease in the heat of fusion of the composites was observed compared to that of PP. Impact tests were also conducted using an instrumented drop weight impact test system. The perforation impact energy, peak load and energy absorbed of the composites increased when the bamboo content was increased. The perforation impact energy was at 55 J for the BPP50% composite, compared to that of neat PP at 20 J. The crack damage in the composites was also reduced with the presence of fabric reinforcement. These results indicate that bamboo fabric is truly a new contender for developing excellent and economical light-weight composites as interior components in automobiles.

Lifting and loading passengers' hand-carry luggage into the overhead compartment in the flight cabin is one of the tasks performed by the cabin crews. The hand-carry luggage weight varies and can be up to 10 kg. The task involved load lifting over the head, awkward posture and repetitive that could lead to the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Hence, further investigation of those factors stimulates this study. An industrial survey was conducted and WMSDs symptom data were collected using Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ). Rapid Upper Limb (RULA) assessment was performed to analyse the posture during the load lifting task. The results of the industrial survey indicated that 88.3% of the workers experienced WMSD symptoms in various regions of the body. The highest symptoms reported at lower back (80.0%), followed by the neck (68.0%) and shoulder (59.0%). The result is supported with the result of RULA with final score 7, which indicated the load lifting task performed involved awkward posture, needs changes and further improvement should be immediately implemented. In conclusion, the cabin crews exposed to the risks of WMSDs and the results of this study can be used as references by the aviation industry to mitigate WMSDs issues among the cabin crews specifically and contribute to the improvement of the society well-being generally.