The effect of pulling speed on mechanical properties of pultruded kenaf fiber reinforced vinyl ester composites

Abstract

During the pultrusion process, there are some parameters that influence the mechanical performance of pultruded composites. The pultruded kenaf composites processing parameter such as pulling speed influenced the pressure and curing behavior of the pultruded composites. The optimal pulling speed leads to the sufficient pressure and temperature and facilitated curing the pultruded composites. Mechanical properties such as tensile strength and modulus, flexural strength and modulus, and compressive strength of kenaf pultruded composites were analyzed in this study and the optimal pulling speed of pultruded composites was determined. The tensile strength and tensile modulus showed the optimal pulling speeds at 0.3 and 0.1 m/min, respectively, while, flexural strength, flexural modulus, and compressive strength were at 0.4, 0.2, and 0.3 m/min, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy images were utilized to study the effect of pulling speed on the morphology of the tensile fracture sample. Fiber wetting, fiber matrix adhesion, the gaps within the samples, and fiber breakages were among the phenomena occurring in the composites. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 24:E13–E20, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers