Development and testing of coir based sandwich composite for automobile application

Development of composite products made of natural fibres is ever increasing in manufacturing wide variety of automotive applications. This work is focused on the development and testing of sandwich composite based on natural materials such as woven jute and latex spayed coir acting as a core. The characteristics of the developed laminates are evaluated based on flatwise compression test, tensile test and flexural test for replacement of automobile floor panels. Based on experimental results, the developed composite material was found to have compatible mechanical properties suitable for the proposed application.