Tensile Behaviour and Hardness of Coconut Fibre-Ortho Unsaturated Polyester Composites

Abstract

This work is aimed at investigating the effect of alkali treatment and fibre load on the tensile properties and hardness of coconut fibre-ortho unsaturated polyester composites. The short length fibres were incorporated into ortho unsaturated polyester resin. The treated and untreated fibre composite samples were subjected to tensile tests according to ASTM D638 using Instron model 3369. The tensile tests include tensile strength, modulus, load at break, tensile strain at break and extension at break. The Micro-hardness test was carried out by forcing a diamond cone indenter into the surface of the hardness specimen to create an indentation. The significant findings of the research showed that alkali treatment improved the tensile properties and hardness of the composite. The tensile properties at 10% fibre load where greatly enhanced while 15% fibre load is best for micro hardness.