American Journal of Materials Engineering and Technology, 2015, Vol. 3, No. 2, 27-34 Available online at http://pubs.sciepub.com/materials/3/2/2 © Science and Education Publishing DOI:10.12691/materials-3-2-2 Production of Motorcycle Anti-crash Helmet Shell from Composite Reinforced with Male Flower Bunch Stalk Fibre of Elaeis Guineensis Nuhu A. Ademoh * , Olasoji C. Olanipekun * Department Of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria *Corresponding author: nuhuadam@yahoo.com; sojiolanipekun@gmail.com Received February 10, 2015; Revised March 09, 2015; Accepted May 06, 2015 Abstract The use of natural fibres in polymer reinforcement has gained serious attention due the fact that they are biodegradable and possess qualities similar to synthetic fibres. Chemical treatments have been successfully used to improve the qualities and performance of natural fibres. This has made natural fibre reinforced polymer gain wide applications in the production of structural componentd. In this work anti-crash helmet was fabricated using the male flower bunch stalk fibre of elaeis guineensis treated with 5% concentrated sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and unsaturated polyester as binder. Hand lay-up method of casting composites was used for helmet fabrication process. Standard test samples were fabricated using same formulation and analysed for water absorption, physical and mechanical properties that included tensile strength, hardness, impact strength and modulus. The mechanical performance of treated reinforcement fibres and composite were determined and the results obtained were compared with past literature. The result showed that chemical treatment greatly improved the mechanical properties, hydrophobic and chemical stabilities of the natural fibres and made them more suitable for the application. Composites reinforced with 20% male flower bunch stalk fibre of oil palm (elaeis guineensis) gave the optimum performance in terms of tested properties of helmet. The composite formulation was also observed to have high potentials for production of related engineering components like car bumper, dash board, military and industrial safety helmets. Keywords: oil palm, male flower bunch fibre, polyester, helmet, sodium hydroxide Cite This Article: Nuhu A. Ademoh, and Olasoji C. Olanipekun, “Production of Motorcycle Anti-crash Helmet Shell from Composite Reinforced with Male Flower Bunch Stalk Fibre of Elaeis Guineensis.” American Journal of Materials Engineering and Technology, vol. 3, no. 2 (2015): 27-34. doi: 10.12691/materials-3-2-2. 1. Introduction A rider is highly prone to life threatening accidents and injuries due to the two legged and high speed nature of motor cycles. Helmets are protective head gears worn by motorcycle riders for protection against injury in case of accident. They act as face shields, provide ventilation and ear protection. Its main components are the shell and inner foam liner. The shell is usually hard and helps resist objects from penetrating during impact thereby preventing direct injury on skull. The foam liner help absorb most of the impact energy. Most helmets are made from resins or plastics reinforced with fibers like aramid. Helmets protect user head by absorbing mechanical energy and protect against penetration. The structure and protective capacity are altered in high-energy impact. Beside energy- absorption capacity, their volume and weight are critical issues that must be considered so as not to increase injury risk and discomfort user's head and neck as observed by neurosurgeons that developed anatomical helmets adapted to the inner head structure (Prasannasrinivas and Chandramohan, 2012). Generally, modern helmets are made from acrylonitrile butadine styrens (ABS) plastics reinforced with glass or carbon fibres, fabric and foam interiors for comfort. Its inner foam is soft, thick and conventionally made of expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) designed to cushion/crush on impact. The outer shell is thin, hard and conventionally made of plastic or fibres like polycarbonate, fibre glass or Kevlar that crush on impact for protection and comfort. In Nigeria the use of motorcycle as means of commercial transportation became a common feature mid 1990s to compliment taxis that could no longer cope with passenger population explosion and expansion of human settlements in remote areas taxis cannot access. Unfortunately, most operators of commercial motorcycles are unemployed youths who were never trained for the job. This resulted to accidents that have killed or maimed riders and passengers, as motorcyclists are at high risk in traffic crashes. In 2008, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) of Nigeria reported a staggering surge in number of road accidents, a significant percentage of which was traced to commercial motorcycles. This made the authorities to enforce a regulation of wearing of anti-crash helmets as an intervention as anti-crash helmets were reported to reduce risk of brain injury by 85%, head injury