Kenaf-Unsaturated Polyester Composite: The Effect of Different Retting Process of Kenaf Bast Fiber on the Mechanical Properties

Kenaf bast fiber reinforced unsaturated polyester composite was produced using kenaf bast fiber based on different retting process. There are two different retting method involved which are water and mechanical retting process. The composites were prepared by using hand lay-up method with different fiber loading (weight %) of 10, 15 and 20%. The mechanical test involved was tensile test and scanning electron microscope (SEM) was employed to investigate the fiber-matrix adhesion and fiber breakage. The result showed that the tensile properties of the composite increased as the fiber loading increased. Besides, the water-retted kenaf –UPE composites exhibited the highest mechanical properties as compared to mechanical-retted kenaf –UPE composites. While, the morphology analysis using SEM showed that water retted kenaf-UPE composite show better fiber distribution and better interfacial adhesion compared to mechanical retted kenaf-UPE composite.