The effects of kenaf fiber loading reinforced polypropylene and nanoclay

The mechanical properties of hybrid composites which consists of polypropylene (pp),nanoclay (nc) and kenaf fiber (k) have been investigated. the size of kenaf fiber used was limited to 250-160µm with constant 6phr of nc. in this research,the k,pp and nc were blended in a twin screw extruder and then injection molded with the fiber weight fraction varying between 20-40wt%. the hybrid composited denoted as kppnc specimens were tested using tensile and izod test according to astm d638 and astm d256. the consolidation of kenaf fiber into polymer matrix reduced the tensile and impact properties of the composites. the fractured surfaces of impact kppnc composites were observed using the scanning electron microscopic technique. © 2015,penerbit utm press. all rights reserved.