The Effect of Alkali Treatment on Impact Strength of Woven Kenaf Reinforced Unsaturated Polyester Composite Using Vacuum Infusion Process

Abstract

Nowadays, natural fibres are used in many applications such as automotive, due to its material properties and being environmental friendly. This study is on woven Kenaf reinforced unsaturated polyester focusing on the effect of alkali treatment towards the impact strength of the textile composite. The experiment consists of two different yarn size woven in plain weave and infused using vacuum infusion process into a composite panel. Optic microscopy was used to determine the swelling of fibre, fabrics and composites before and after alkali treatment. The high speed puncture was used to evaluate the impact strength of pure unsaturated polyester and the composite. The results showed that alkali treatment enhanced the impact strength of the composite compared to pure polyester and untreated composite. The swelling of the fibres caused the yarns to expand throughout the thickness and the width of each composite. The gap between the yarns interlacing was reduced due to the expansion of yarns which has increased the covering area of the reinforced material.