Abstract
The present work is an attempt to investigate the mechanical properties of a treated betelnut fibre-reinforced polyester composite. Tensile, flexural, compression, and hardness tests were carried out. As a result of reinforcing the polyester with the treated betelnut fibre mats, the tensile, flexural, compression, and hardness properties of the composite were enhanced by about 141 per cent, 28 per cent, 85 per cent, and 6 per cent when compared to neat polyester. The high roughness of the outer layer of the treated betelnut fibre and the presence of trichomes were the main reasons for the high enhancement of mechanical properties of the composites. Scanning electron microscopy observation showed low fibre pullout during the mechanical test. The failure mechanism was dominated by fibre breakage and slight debonding during the tensile tests.
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