Static analysis on Malaysian Yankee's pineapple leaf fiber/epoxy composite

Abstract

The static analysis on pineapple leaf fibre (PALF) reinforced epoxy composites was carried out in this study. The effect of fiber alignment in X and Y axis were studied while maintaining total fiber loading of 10% by weight. The bending and compression strength were analyzed by performing flexural and compression test. The composite properties was strongly influence by the fiber orientation where Y axis shows improvement about 97% in bending and 5.3% in compressive strength compared to neat epoxy. However, as for X orientation bending test shows lower bending strength compared to neat epoxy but improve 4% in compressive strength. It can be concludedthat the fiber alignment in Y-direction is more suitable to be utilized for automotive interior or household applications that demand high strength properties.