Mechanical properties of kenaf/polypropylene composite: An investigation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15282/jmes.10.2.2016.14.0198Keywords:
Kenaf; polypropylene; impact strength; DOE.Abstract
At present, the applications of natural fibre composite in daily life products have become a norm. Therefore, studies on various combinations of natural fibre and filler have been carried out by researchers worldwide. In this study, kenaf/polypylene composite had been tested on Izod impact strength (ASTM D256) by varying fibre weights and lengths, besides being subjected under various impact angles. Impact strength of composite was determined from the average of five specimens. Besides, maleic anhydride-graftedpolypropylene was premixed with polypropylene using an internal mixer to enhance surface contact between fibre and matrix. On top of that, hardness and density tests were conducted to identify the physical properties of the samples. Other than that, digital microstructure observation was carried out to visualize the bonding surface between fibre and matrix. Next, the design of experiment analysis was employed to examine the relationship between impact angles, fibre weights, and fibre lengths. From the Izod impact test outcome, higher fibre length had been found to improve impact properties of composite. However, stress distribution of fibre at a shorter length was more significant for lower impact angle. Therefore, sample with fibre length of 1 cm and loading 30 wt.% had been confirmed as the best sample with excellent impact properties at various impact angles. Meanwhile, the microstructure of the sample demonstrated that the fibre displayed good surface coverage with the addition of maleic anhydride-grafted-polypropylene into polypropylene. Lastly, prediction of impact behaviour for kenaf/polypropylene composite was carried out by applying the formula obtained to factorial analysis generated by Minitab software.
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