Physical, mechanical, chemical, and thermal properties of sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) fiber were investigated for specimens obtained from three different locations: Kuala Jempol (Peninsular Malaysia), Tawau (West Malaysia), and Tasik Malaya (Indonesia). The morphology of the fiber were observed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the thermal properties by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), tensile properties according to ASTM D3379, and chemical analysis by using neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF). This study confirmed that in sugar palm fiber, the highest chemical content of cellulose resulted in the highest strength and thermal stability of the fiber. Fiber originating from Kuala Jempol had the highest cellulose content of 44.53%, followed by Indonesia (44.47%) and Tawau (43.75%). Kuala Jempol fiber (233.28 MPa) also had the highest tensile strength, followed by Indonesia (211.03 MPa) and Tawau (201.30 MPa), which was affected by the cellulose content in the fiber. Thus, fiber originating from Kuala Jempol had better quality than the others as a reinforcement material in manufacturing of polymer composites.
7000 years ago, miswak fiber (MF) was used as a toothbrush for oral care. However, since the emergence of plastic materials, it monopolized the oral care industry. The increment of plastic products also promotes accumulation of plastic wastes after its disposal. Thus, many researchers have turn to biodegradable products to reduce this problem. The aim of this study is to investigate the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of MF as reinforcement in composites that are suitable to replace the toothbrush materials. The MF was reinforced in PLA composite with different weight percentage (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%) and undergoes several types of testing. The chemical results show that there were high presence of cellulose in the fiber which could act as medium to transfer stress load equally from fiber to matrix. However, the results show low cellulosic contents in MF that affects the poor interfacial bonding between fiber and matrix. Physical properties shows a positive indication to be used as a toothbrush handle. As the fiber content increases, the density also increased. SEM micrographic illustrated the presence of voids as the cause for reduction in mechanical properties of composites. The mechanical results show the proposed material is comparable to the materials used in commercial applications. As for the thermal result, the TGA test melting point of the proposed composite material was comparable to the pure PLA, which means the proposed material can use similar processing temperature as PLA. DSC shows that Tg of PLA/MF composite is found to be similar to Tg in loss modulus of composites. DMA finding found that PLA/MF30 have the highest storage modulus 2062 MPa and the lowest tan δ 0.6 among PLA/MF composites. This concludes that there is a possibility of using these materials as an alternative in composites and increase the fiber strength by using pretreatments and/or compatibilizer.
In this paper, statistical inferences in material selection of polymer matrix for natural fiber composite are presented. Hypothesis testing and confidence interval were used to evaluate the suita bility of the sample for use as a matrix in natural fiber reinforced composites. The screening process for material selection was carried out using a stepwise regression method. Then, the ranking process in ma terial selection was conducted using an estimation of performance score (PS) for mechanical pro perties such as impact strength (IS), elongation at break (E) and tensile strength (TS). Ten types of polymer were involved in the study. The final selection revealed that polyamide (PA6), polyurethanes (PUR) and polypropylene (PP) are the potential candidates to manufacture handbrake levers according to IS, E and TS, respectively. Here, it was found that the score for Tp (thermoplastic) is better than Ts (thermoset) in terms of IS. In contrast, the Ts offered a better score result than, Tp, with respect to E and TS. The results of statistical measurements using statistical modelling prove that the data analysis can be used as a part of the decision making in material selection.
In this paper, an investigation on crushing behavior of kenaf fiber/wooden stick reinforced epoxy hybrid composite elliptical tubes is presented. Kenaf fiber reinforced epoxy elliptical composite tubes, unsupported and supported by wooden sticks (4, 6 and 8), were fabricated using hand lay-up process. The crushing tests were performed at a constant speed of 20 mm/s to explore the potential effect of wooden sticks on the specific energy and mechanical behavior of kenaf fiber reinforced epoxy composite elliptical tubes. As a result of the study, it was found that the load carrying capacities of kenaf fiber reinforced epoxy composite tubes were gradually increased with the number of wooden sticks. Generally, the investigation showed that kenaf fiber reinforced epoxy composite elliptical tubes supported by wooden sticks demonstrated superior specific energy absorption and crashworthiness compared to the composite tubes unsupported. Further, the results also revealed that all specimens have failed in longitudinal failure modes. In this regard, an elliptical composite tube supported by 8 wooden sticks exhibited the best energy absorption capability.
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