CHARACTERISTICS OF FIBER TREATMENTS ON TENSILE AND IMPACT STRENGTHS OF PINE RESIN/ARECA HUSK FIBER BIOCOMPOSITES

In this study, alkali treatment was carried out on natural fibers to increase their mechanical strength, change the chemical composition, and clean the fibers of impurities. Areca husk fibers (AHFs) were soaked in an alkaline solution, and dried. Alkali-treated fibers were blended with preheated pine resin, and the tensile and impact strengths of the pine resin/AHFs biocomposites were evaluated. The fibers treatment, the tensile strength increased by about 11% and icreased by about 33% compared with untreated fiber biocomposites. Alkali treatment also increased The value of the Young's modulus of the fibers by about 9.2%. The impact strength of the pine resin increased by nearly 42% from the presence of 10% by weight AHFc content. For the pine resin/AHFs biocomposites, the impact strength increased 24% compared with untreated AHFs. The mercerization increased the adhesion of the fiber–matrix interface, enabling efficient transfer of tension from the matrix to the AHFs.By the SEM, increased adhesion bonding between the matrix and the fibers was also detected. This is significant, considering that tensile and impact strengths are some of the most important mechanical properties of a composite material thet are affeted by the bonding force between the matrix and the fibers