Effect of Fiber Orientation on the Tensile Properties of Kenaf Fiber Reinforced Polyester Composite

Abstract

The increasing awareness on the relevant of protecting the environment and the demand for sustainable structures have motivated researchers to develop new bio-based composites that can minimize the harmful effect to the environment. Thus, this study highlights the effects of fiber orientation on the tensile properties of unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) reinforced with unidirectional (UD) continuous kenaf fiber. To this end, the kenaf fiber reinforced polyester composite was fabricated in a unidirectional orientation with fiber volume fraction of 40%. Consequently, the kenaf fiber reinforced polyester composite was subjected to tensile tests in the longitudinal (0°) fiber orientation, transverse (90°) fiber orientation and diagonal (45°) fiber orientation. Also, the plain polyester matrix tensile test was considered and used as reference point. The result of tests showed that the tensile stiffness for 0^o and 90^o fiber orientation is 21257.80 MPa and 2864.45 MPa, while the tensile strength are 179.30 MPa and 11.84 MPa respectively. Also, the 45° tensile stiffness and 45° tensile strength are 1736.83 MPa and 10.77 MPa respectively. The results demonstrated that the composites with 0^o fiber orientation had the best mechanical performance, followed by those with 90^o and 45^o fiber orientations respectively. Hence, this current improvement in performance of UD KFRP composite at 0^o fiber orientation may potentially replace conventional synthetic fibers, especially for structural applications.