Effects of high-temperature exposure on the mechanical properties of kenaf composites

Abstract

Automotive parts, including dashboards and trunk covers, are now fabricated through a compression-molding process in order to produce lightweight products and optimize fuel consumption. However, their mechanical strength is not compromised to avoid safety issues. Therefore, this study investigates kenaf-fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites using a simple combing approach to unidirectionally align kenaf fibers at 0°. The kenaf composite was found to withstand a maximal temperature of 120 °C. The tensile and flexural strengths of the aligned kenaf composites (50 and 90 MPa, respectively) were three times higher than those of the commercialized Product T (between 39 and 30.5 MPa, respectively) at a temperature range of 90 to 120 °C. These findings clearly showed that the mechanical properties of aligned kenaf fibers fabricated through the combing technique were able to withstand high operating temperatures (120 °C), and could be used as an alternative to other commercial natural-fiber products.