The effect of natural fiber ratio on mechanical properties of kaolin/fly-ash at low temperature ceramics

Abstract

This study aims to increase the feasibility of ceramics at low temperature using natural fibers. The ceramics (Ce) were prepared by mixing a powder of kaolin and fly-ash at an equal ratio of 50:50 wt.%. The mixture was milled by ball-milling technique. The natural fibers ceramics (CeNF) were created by adding local pineapple leaves to kaolin and fly-ash powder. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to amorphous observation and particle size determination. The compositions of Ce and CeNF were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The mechanical properties of ceramics were determined by hardness and density test. The results showed that the grinding of kaolin and fly-ash for 4 h produced the highest strength Ce. For the addition of local pineapple leaves at 2 wt.%, the strength could be increased from 92.9 kgf to 118.3 kgf.