Modern Mechanical Engineering, 2016, 6, 1-9 Published Online February 2016 in SciRes. http://www.scirp.org/journal/mme http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/mme.2016.61001 How to cite this paper: Ichetaonye, S.I., Ichetaonye, D.N. and Tenebe, O.G. (2016) Study of Mechanical and Micro-Struc- tural Effect on Alkaline Treated Sponge Gourd (Luffa aegyptiaca) Fibre Epoxy Composite. Modern Mechanical Engineering, 6, 1-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/mme.2016.61001 Study of Mechanical and Micro-Structural Effect on Alkaline Treated Sponge Gourd (Luffa aegyptiaca) Fibre Epoxy Composite S. I. Ichetaonye 1* , D. N. Ichetaonye 1 , O. G. Tenebe 2 1 Department of Polymer and Textile Technology, Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos 2 Department of Polymer Technology, Nigerian Institute of Leather & Science Technology, Zaria, Nigeria Received 17 November 2015; accepted 1 February 2016; published 4 February 2016 Copyright © 2016 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Abstract In this present work, the study of mechanical and micro-structural effect on alkaline treated sponge gourd fibre epoxy composite has been investigated experimentally. Composite laminates are fabricated by hand lay-up technique. Scanning Electro Microscope analysis on the composite materials is performed. A group of neat epoxy samples is fabricated for comparison purpose. Samples are analysed for their mechanical properties to establish an alkaline effect on sponge gourd. Indeed, a maximum value of strength and strain is observed over 20% filler loading for 24 hrs treated fibre composite. Keywords Sponge Gourd, Fibre, Flexural, Modulus 1. Introduction During the last decade, natural fibre reinforced polymeric composites which substitute glass reinforcement, have witnessed considerable growth. This is attributed to their unique properties. These materials have the potential advantages of weight-saving (light material), lower raw material price from natural origin, and “thermal recy- cling” or the ecological advantages of using resources which are renewable. Due to the importance of natural fi- bre reinforced composite many non-structural components for the automotive and other sectors are now made from natural fibre composite materials [1]. These materials are largely based on polypropylene, polyester and polyamide matrices incorporating natural fibres, such as sponge gourd (Figure 1), hemp etc. Another major area * Corresponding author.