Flexural Strength, Fracture and Impact Toughness Analysis of Kenaf/Woven Fibreglass Polyester Composite

Abstract

Natural fibers may be obtained from plant, animal and mineral sources. They are becoming a promising high potential reinforcement material for composites and thus have drawn attention from many researchers. Apart from their well-known benefits such as environmental friendly, low cost and biodegradability compared to synthetic fibres, they also have low density, minimal abrasive wear to machinery, high specific strength and modulus and can be recycled thermally. In recent years, kenaf fibres have appeared as one of the outstanding materials being used in the textile, building, plastics and automotive industries. However, it cannot be used in heavy applications. Thus hybridization with fibreglass may improve the overall mechanical properties of the composite materials. Kenaf/woven fibreglass unsaturated polyester composites was fabricated using a combination of hand lay-up and cold-press methods. A sandwich configuration with the skin being fibreglass and the core made of kenaf fibre is employed in this work. It can be surmised that the flexural strength, fracture and impact toughness of this hybrid material are influenced by fibreglass at skin layer rather than matrix strength.