The effect of fiber stacking orientation on the mechanical and thermal properties of kenaf fiber/ epoxy laminated composites

This study aimed to obtain the mechanical and thermal properties of kenaf fiber reinforced epoxy laminated composites fabricated using a vacuum assisted resin infusion (VARI) method. The alkaline-treated fibers were arranged in the orientation of 0˚/0˚/0˚/0˚ and 0˚/90˚/0˚/90˚. Density measurement, mechanical testings, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were carried out on epoxy and the composites. The results of the mechanical test showed that the tensile, flexural, and compression strengths of the kenaf fiber reinforced epoxy composites with 0˚/0˚/0˚/0˚ fiber orientation were higher than those of the composites with 0˚/90˚/0˚/90˚ fiber orientation, with the values of (96.61 ± 10.18) MPa, (131.01 ± 6.60) MPa, and (71.96 ± 5.50) MPa, respectively. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) observations showed that the composites had good fiber-matrix adhesion. The thermal stability of epoxy was enhanced from 557 °C to 571 °C by incorporating kenaf fiber with 0˚/0˚/0˚/0˚ orientation.