EFFECT OF CITRONELLA FIBER TREATMENT ON TENSILE STRENGTH OF POLYESTER MATRIX COMPOSITES: A 2K FACTORIAL DESIGN ANALYSIS

Abstract

Using natural fiber-reinforced composites has become a new style in materials technology. The natural fibers used have a significant impact on the mechanical properties of the composite, so the use of natural fibers in composites has the potential to be more sustainable in various industrial fields. However, natural fibers contain several chemical components that can affect the mechanical properties of the composite. Therefore, chemical treatment is needed on the fibers that will be used as reinforcement so that the composite made can produce mechanical properties such as optimal tensile strength. This research aims to see the effect of the type of solution and length of treatment time on citronella fiber on the tensile strength of the resulting composite. The method used in this research is a 2k factorial design. In this research, the tensile testing process used the ASTM D638-01 standard reference, with citronella fiber being soaked using a liquid smoke solution and boiling the fiber using a turmeric solution. The duration of the treatment process for both was 1 hour and 3 hours. The research showed that the highest tensile strength produced was 10.93 MPa when the fiber was soaked in liquid smoke for 1 hour. In contrast, the fiber treatment and length of time for the composite fiber reinforcement treatment did not affect the resulting tensile strength