Effect of casuarina equisetifolia filled unsaturated polyester composites on the physical and mechanical properties / Nurulaini Borhan

Recent years, the potential usage of natural fibre as filler in composite technology has been increased gradually. This study was focusing on the Casuarina equisetifolia (C.equisetifolia) leaf as natural fibre filler due its leaf always become litter towards the environment and it has natural surface roughness. Mostly, only its wood was being used for others application such household simple furniture. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of various weight loadings to the mechanical and physical properties of C.equisetifolia leaf incorporated unsaturated polyester resins (UP). The composite samples were fabricated by using hot press machine with mould dimension of (15x15x0.3) cm. There are six types of samples involve in this study with virgin UP, 10wt%/(C.eq/UP), 20wt%/(C.eq/UP), 30wt%(C.eq/UP), 40wt%/(C.eq/UP), and 50wt%/(C.eq/UP). The testing involved is tensile test, flexural test (three-point bending), Izod impact test, density test, water absorption and morphological study via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). From the mechanical testing, the overall results show decrement with the increment of C. equisetifolia by percentage weight loadings. The tensile test result decreases at the increases of percentage loading of C.equisetifolia. As for three-point bending result, as percentage of weight loading of C.equisetifolia increases from 10wt% to 20wt% the strength was increases about 17.2% (from 27.79MPa to 32.56MPa) and gradually decreases as increment of C.equisetifolia weight loading. However, this is contradictory from Izod impact result which shown an increment from 10wt% to 40wt% weight loading of the C.equisetifolia but at maximum percentage weight loading (50wt%) the impact strength decreases significantly. The result for physical testing on density and water absorption shows as the weight loading of C. equisetifolia increases, the potential for the composites to absorb more water is high due to high percentage of hydrophilic fibre properties. This result can influence on the mechanical properties of the composite.