Equipment for Testing the Tensile Strength of Natural Fibers: Design and Implementation

Abstract

The use of fibers, especially natural fibers, as construction materials has begun to develop. Natural fibers are also used for soil stabilization, where there are two mechanisms for increasing soil strength: tensile strength and fiber-soil friction. The purpose of this research is to design and build simple, inexpensive tools that can be used to test the tensile strength of a natural fiber. The tool consists of three main parts, namely the pull tool, loadcell, and display, and a supporting component, namely the computer. Prior to use, two calibrations were performed with respect to load cell accuracy and the vertical deformation of the tool. The equipment was used directly to measure the tensile strength of one of the natural fibers from oil palm empty fruit bunches. The relationship between stress and strain, fiber diameter, and fiber strength is discussed and compared with behaviors reported from the existing literature. The tensile strength of oil palm empty fruit bunches was found to be 107 MPa on average, with a strain at break of 6%. Fiber behavior, independent of diameter, was discovered to include elastic and plastic regions in the stress-strain relationship.