Yousif, B. F. and Shalwan, A. and Chin, C. W. and Ming, K. C. (2012) Flexural properties of treated and untreated kenaf/epoxy composites. Materials and Design, 40. pp. 378-385. ISSN 0264-1275
Abstract
In the current work, flexural properties of unidirectional long kenaf fibre reinforced epoxy (KFRE) composites are studied. The kenaf fibres were prepared into two types as untreated and treated (with 6% NaOH). The failure mechanism and damage features of the materials were categorized with the surface observation by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results revealed that reinforcement of epoxy with treated kenaf fibres increased the flexural strength of the composite by about 36%, while, untreated fibres introduced 20% improvement. This was mainly due to the high improvement of the chemical treatment (NaOH) on the interfacial adhesion of the fibres and the porosity of the composites which prevented the debonding, detachments or pull out of fibres. For untreated KFRE, the fracture mechanisms were debonding, tearing, detachments and pull out of fibres. The developed composite exhibited superior properties compared to the previous composites based on natural and synthetic fibres.
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| Item Type: | Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C) |
|---|---|
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Permanent restricted access to published version due to publisher copyright policy. |
| Faculty / Department / School: | Historic - Faculty of Engineering and Surveying - Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering |
| Date Deposited: | 08 Mar 2013 00:59 |
| Last Modified: | 21 Jul 2014 00:02 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | polymer matrix; natural materials; mechanical properties |
| Fields of Research : | 03 Chemical Sciences > 0303 Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry > 030307 Theory and Design of Materials 12 Built Environment and Design > 1203 Design Practice and Management > 120302 Design Innovation 09 Engineering > 0913 Mechanical Engineering > 091307 Numerical Modelling and Mechanical Characterisation |
| Socio-Economic Objective: | E Expanding Knowledge > 97 Expanding Knowledge > 970109 Expanding Knowledge in Engineering |
| Identification Number or DOI: | 10.1016/j.matdes.2012.04.017 |
| URI: | http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/21089 |
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