The Impact Resistance, Flammability, and Hardness of Polypropylene/Unidirectional Sumberejo Kenaf Fiber Composites

Abstract

The use of natural fibers to substitute synthetic fibers on composites has been an interest to be developed. Kenaf is a plant that abundant in Indonesia because it's adaptive and its fiber has good strength. The purpose of this study was to determine the value of impact resistance, flammability, and hardness of polypropylene / unidirectional Sumberejo kenaf fiber composite boards in accordance with Standar Nasional Indonesia (SNI). Composites were fabricated by the variation of fiber, which were 30 wt%, 40 wt%, and 50 wt%. Pure polypropylene samples were also fabricated for comparison. The fabrication used a compression molding method. The best results were obtained from polypropylene / 50 wt% kenaf fiber composites with impact energy, flammability, and hardness values were (47.54 + 10.7) J / cm2, (7.1?5.1) mm / minute, and (66 + 0.8) HD respectively. Optical microscope observation on the impacted surface was a destruction of the matrix-fiber bonding and fiber breakage, in which showed the energy of impact was absorbed by kenaf fiber. The observation on the burned surface was burnt kenaf fibers and rest of PP that bonding with kenaf fiber, this indicated the kenaf fiber acted as an oxygen barrier.