Mechanical properties of Kenaf and Palmyra Palm leaf stalk fiber reinforced composite

Abstract

The kenaf fibers and Palmyra palm leaf stalk fibers (PPLSF) fiber were extracted using retting process then the composite was fabricated by Hand lay-up process using chemically treated unidirectional bilayer fibers mat. The fabricated composites undergone with mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural, impact test, and hardness. Three types of composites were manufactured by varying the weight percentage of fiber content, the composites were: Kenaf-Palmyra Palm Leaf Stalk-Kenaf Fiber Composite (KPKFC), Palmyra Palm Leaf Stalk-Kenaf-Palmyra Palm Leaf Stalk Fiber Composite (PKPFC), and Palmyra Palm Leaf Stalk-Kenaf Fiber Composite (PKFC). The KPKFC and PKPFC had shown significant mechanical properties. The maximum tensile and impact strength was found for PKPFC, the tensile and impact strength was 10.60 MPa and 17.37 J/cm2 respectively. The PKPFC had almost 60.18% and 66.72% more tensile and impact strength than KPKFC respectively. The highest flexural strength was obtained for KPKFC and flexural strength was 19.38 MPa. The KPKFC had 49.12% more flexural strength than PKPFC. The maximum hardness was obtained for KPKFC and the hardness was 25.4 Shore D.

Keywords

• Kenaf fiber
• Palmyra palm leaf stalk fiber
• Alkali treatment
• Epoxy resin
• Hand lay-up
• Mechanical properties