The use of short natural fibre in polymer matrix is common since it would be

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Natural fibre is an economical material that often used in various applications due to its low in density, non-abrasiveness in processing and biodegradable. But, its usage in various applications is still limited due to the low in overall properties. The acceptable method to improve the properties of the fibres is by chemical treatment method that is costly, meticulous process and high energy demand. Thus, a new, simple and cost-effective fibre coating treatment method was developed which was able to improve the physical and morphological properties that open a new path for natural based materials to be used in a more robust application. In this study, the physical and morphological properties of various coated Kenaf fibres were analysed to comprehend the cutting behaviour of coated fibres after subjected to the pulverisation process. The Kenaf fibres were individually immersed in 1:4, 1:5 and 1:6 epoxy to acetone coating solutions prior cured, and pulverised consecutively using 5 mm, 1 mm, 0.5 mm and 0.25 mm mesh sizes aperture. The morphological characteristic was analysed using polarised optical and scanning electron microscope. The result showed that 1:6 coating ratio solution able to effectively coat the fibres’ aspect ratio that forming individual coated fibre which in long length pulverised fibres. Moreover, the low viscous 1:6 solution able to penetrate inside fibre structure that supported by density and fibre cross-section analysis compare to the other solutions. In future, this analysis is crucial to give insight on the coated fibres behaviour after subjected to the mechanical means of cutting process that later relates to the reinforcing mechanism in the composite samples.

The fibre behaviour is a critical aspect that will determine the deformation of the composite since it highly relies on its physical and chemical properties. This paper focus on the effect of similar fibres aspect ratio (L/D) with different length of untreated Kenaf fibre and SodiumHydroxide/silane treated Kenaf fibres on the flexural properties of the composites. The treated and untreated kenaf fibre at two different fibre lengths (A: 0.4 cm and B: 2.9 cm) were fabricated at low filler loadings (5,10,15%) and high filler loadings (45,50,55%). The results showed an improvement in the flexural stress (7-44 %) and modulus (6-46 %) with the application of treatments for both A- and B- fibre categories. The optimum result was achieved from the treated samples at a shorter A-fibre composite, although the aspect ratio between A and B-fibre samples are similar. The chemical treatment coalition might improve the surface interaction and, at shorter fibre length, it affects the fibres compact-ability that led to an improvement in stress distribution and low voids formation as supported by the observation on the composite's fractured surface where traces of matrix observed on the surface of pull-out fibres. From the fractographic analysis, the fibres morphological condition before the fabrication is one of the important factors to consider since it can affect the end-properties of the composites.

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