Mechanical Characterization of Epoxy-Nanoclay-Kenaf Fiber Polymer Composites

This work objective is to research the mechanical behaviour of hybrid nanopolymer composite made of epoxy resin as matrix, kenaf fibre (KF) and reinforcement and Montmorillonite nanoclay (MN) as filler. KF was added by 10, 20, and 30 wt.%, whereas NC is kept constant at 3%. Epoxy resin and MN were mixed using an ultrasonicator for homogeneous dispersal of MN. Chopped KF was afterwards mixed with the epoxy resin-MN blend and a hand layup technique was adopted for fabricating the composite. As per the ASTM standards, mechanical properties viz., tensile test, flexural, and impact test, and shore D hardness are determined and evaluated. Optical microscopic images show that the dispersal of chopped KF is homogeneous. With addition of KF, the mechanical properties tend to increase, whereas a higher % of KF addition leads to debonding and improper wetting that leads to poor mechanical strength. MN addition influences the mechanical strength in a positive manner.