The effect of partial replacement of fiber glass in epoxy composite by using dates palm fiber for mechanical properties

• Main Author: Aziz, Nazhatul Syahirah
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English
• Published: 2024
• Online Access: http://eprints.utem.edu.my/id/eprint/27636/; https://plh.utem.edu.my/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=123534

In the field of hybrid composites, the combination of date palm fiber(natural fiber) with fiberglass(synthetic fiber) provides an alternative approach that emphasises on the advantages of both materials to create a composite with unique properties and applications. In this experimental study, hybrid composites were fabricated using different mixing ratio of the epoxy, fiberglass and date palm fiber. Every sample have different mixing ratio of glass fiber and date palm fiber but same epoxy with weight fraction 70% of matrix ratio while 30% balanced consist of glass fiber and dates palm fiber. The study evaluate the impact of this substitution on the overall performance of the hybrid epoxy composites, including aspects like tensile strength, flexural, impact test and morphological structure. For the tensile strength, sample A1(26% Glass Fiber, 4% Dates Palm Fiber) obtained the highest value 87.7MPa. Sample A4(30% Glass Fiber) is the highest value of flexural strength with 218.0MPa while Sample A2 with 101.4KJ/m2 for highest value of the impact test. Then, different structures such as fiber breakage, delamination and debonding are also observed by using Scaning Electron Microscope (SEM). However, the results offer valuable guidance for optimizing the mechanical performance of these composites in various applications It delves into the potential advantages and limitations of using date palm fiber as an alternative to conventional fiber glass in composite materials, aiming to assess the feasibility and efficiency of this substitution in various applications.