Determination of the Optimal Composition of the Kenaf/Ramie Composite Material Based on the Taguchi and the Surface Response Methodology

The use of composite materials with natural fiber reinforcement has experienced rapid development in the automotive industry to apply synthetic materials that are expensive and not environmentally friendly. Biocomposite is a type of composite consisting of a polymer matrix and natural fiber reinforcement. Natural fiber materials are used instead of conventional non-renewable materials. In this study, the vacuum-assisted resin infusion (VARI) process was used for composite fabrication using woven kenaf and ramie fibers. The Taguchi experimental design method with the L932 orthogonal array matrix in this study was used to obtain optimum composite fabrication parameters with natural fiber reinforcement. Material test such as impact test and flexural test is used to obtain experimental responses. The results of the study using the RSM method obtained the optimal combination of manufacturing parameters, namely by choosing a low concentration of NaOH (4%) and a high post-curing temperature (120 °C). With these optimal parameters, the optimal flexural and impact strengths that can be achieved are 0.261 J/mm2 and 79.658 MPa.