The Mechanical Properties of Treated and Untreated Kenaf Fibre Reinforced Epoxy Composite

Kenaf fibre that is known as Hibiscus cannabinus, L. family malvaceae is an herbaceous plant that can be grown under a wide range of weather condition. The uses of kenaf fibres as reinforcement in the polymeric matrix have been widely investigated. This paper reports works on improving the mechanical properties of kenaf fibre reinforced epoxy composite. This was achieved by improving the properties of kenaf fibres through alkali treatment process. For the present study, the mechanical properties of this natural fibre polymer composite i.e., flexural strength, flexural modulus and impact strength were investigated. The composites were prepared in both untreated and treated forms of fibre with varying concentrations of weight: 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 wt% by using hot pressed method. The effect of alkaline treatment using 4% NaOH to the mechanical properties of the composite also investigated. The fractured surfaces of these composites were studied by using scanning electron microscopic technique (SEM) to determine the interfacial bonding between the epoxy resin matrix and the reinforcement. The results showed that flexural modulus and flexural strength were improved by 79% and 24.7% respectively and the impact strength by 14.7%.