Development of coir-fiber-reinforced nanocomposite for shell eco marathon vehicle body application ChinYao Tan, KokHing Chong ⇑ , Saravana Kannan Thangavelu, ChinVoon Charlia Sia Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Kuching, Sarawak QA5, 93350, Malaysia article info Article history: Received 30 March 2021 Received in revised form 12 April 2021 Accepted 12 April 2021 Available online 3 May 2021 Keywords: Coir fiber-reinforced nanocomposite Weight Percentage Von Mises Displacement Strain abstract Many researches had been conducted on natural fiber nanocomposites to replace conventional material in vehicle application. This is due to the environmental sustainability awareness that is arising nowadays. The topic of this research focuses on the development of coir fiber-reinforced nanocomposite in Shell Eco-Marathon vehicle body application. Shell Eco-Marathon vehicle is designed to be lightweight to improve the efficiency of the vehicle. Coir fiber-reinforced nanocomposite is the combination of coir fiber, silica nanoparticles and epoxy resin as a composite material. The parameters involved in this research include the weight percentage of coir fiber, weight percentage of silica nanoparticles and force applied to the simulated model. The weight percentage of coir fiber in the nanocomposite is varied while the content of silica nanoparticle is fixed in this research. The aim of the research is to study the effect of weight percentage of coir fiber coir reinforced nanocomposite toward von Mises stress, resultant displacement and resultant strain through Solidworks simulation approach. The higher weight percentage of coir fiber can lead to the increase in the tensile strength as tension is involved. There is a close relationship between weight percentage of coir fiber and the strength of the composite. Ó 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the International Conference on Sustainable materials, Manufacturing and Renewable Technologies 2021. 1. Introduction The dominant position of steel as the main material in manufacturing vehicle has been shaken by the innovative compos- ite materials nowadays. This was due to the high specific modulus, strength and chemical stability of composite material. The ultimate aim of the application of composite material is to achieve a lower weight and hence, leading toward energy-saving and reduction of emission. Sustainable development in the automotive industry can be achieved through developing a lighter-weight automobile [1]. This correlates with the Shell Eco-Marathon competition in term of sustainability and weight saving as it allows students to build an ultra-energy-efficient car. An approach of using nanocomposite material is being consid- ered to build the body panel. It is believed that nanocomposite material can be used to build the body panel of the vehicle to reduce weight and therefore maximizing its efficiency. Although many researches had been performed by researchers [2–5], this research project will be carried out to investigate a new type of nanocomposite containing silica nanoparticle with coir fiber as the natural fiber content. In this research, there are many factors that could affect the strength properties of nanocomposite. How- ever, two of the factors that show significant impact on nanocom- posite strength are the weight percentage of natural fiber and the concentration of silica nanoparticle. The weight percentage of nat- ural fiber will be studied in this research by varying its parameter and examine its effect. 1.1. Natural fiber selection Fiber type has a few categories, including its origin from either plant, mineral or animal. Cellulose is the main structural compo- nent in plant fibers, while protein is found in animal fibers. Natural fiber from minerals was used widely in composite application in the past. However, most of mineral-based fibers have been banned in certain countries due to the health issues associated to this type of fibers. One of the fibers with the highest strength is silk. How- ever, the high cost of silk and its less resource leads to the selection of plant fiber to be used in composites [6]. Plant fibers can be obtained easily as many countries have their own plantation industries. Many researches on natural fiber composites had been https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.04.170 2214-7853/Ó 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the International Conference on Sustainable materials, Manufacturing and Renewable Technologies 2021. ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: kchong@swinburne.edu.my (K. Chong). Materials Today: Proceedings 47 (2021) 4950–4954 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Materials Today: Proceedings journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matpr