Mechanical properties of palm oil fiber reinforced thermoplastic natural rubber composites / Siti Afiqah Abdul Rahman

In this research, polypropylene is mixed with natural rubber to form composite of thermoplastic natural rubber (TPNR). It was then mixed with palm oil fiber as filler using dispersion mixer with various fiber loading and fiber length. Fiber loading that has been used are 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 g. Fiber length that also has been used are 1.5, 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0 cm. Blank TPNR is set as a reference value. The effect of fiber loading and fiber length on the mechanical properties is investigated. The mechanical properties were investigated in terms of Young's modulus, tensile strength and impact strength. At high fiber loading, the tensile were decreased, whereas Young's modulus and impact were increased. On the other hand, Young's modulus is improved by varies fiber length compared with blank TPNR. As the Young's modulus increase, the impact strength is increased but the tensile strength is decreased up to point of critical fiber length.