The impact of alkaline treatment on the mechanical and physical properties of Kenaf core fibre reinforced vinyl ester composites
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Date
2022-03Author
Aida, H. J.
Nadlene, R.
Mastura, M. T.
Noryani, M.
S. M. Fadzullah, S. H.
Kamrolzaman, A. A.
Salim, M. A.
Bushra, Rashid
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Nowadays, natural fibre has a high demand in any application development. The use of
natural fibre in various applications worldwide is one of the alternative ways to replace
synthetic fibre. Currently, polymer composites using natural fibre as reinforced materials
are trending in the aeronautic and automotive industries. Therefore, this research focuses
on the impact of surface modification on kenaf core fibre reinforced vinyl ester composites
towards mechanical and physical properties. From the obtained results, the modified fibre
has good strength and modulus, and also physical properties, such as water absorption and
density. The flexural strength of modified fibre improved to 55.47%, while the modulus
increased to 83.87% as compared to the unmodified fibre. For tensile strength, the modified
composites improved by 58.02%. The modified fibre shows improved water resistance, as
clarified by the water absorption analysis. The surface modification of kenaf core fibre using
alkaline treatment achieved good results compared to unmodified fibre in enhancing the
interlocking between fibre/matrix, reducing certain chemical content, and reducing the
hydrophilicity of the composites.