Journal of Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences 99, Issue 2 (2022) 180-186 180 Journal of Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences Journal homepage: https://semarakilmu.com.my/journals/index.php/fluid_mechanics_thermal_sciences/index ISSN: 2289-7879 Water Absorption Study on Kenaf/ABS Composites Mashelmie Sidik 1 , Rabiatul Manisah Mohamed 1,* , Nor Bahiyah Baba 1 , Alias Mohd 1 1 Faculty of Engineering Technology, University College TATI (UC TATI), Teluk Kalong, 24000 Kemaman, Terengganu, Malaysia ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: Received 17 April 2022 Received in revised form 15 August 2022 Accepted 25 August 2022 Available online 20 September 2022 Many manufacturers have lately expressed an interest in the use of fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPs) in structural applications. Carbon and glass fibers, for example, have been commercialized globally for decades. However, they are harmful to the environment since synthetic fibers are non-biodegradable and difficult to recycle once they have fulfilled their purpose. As a result of their better physical and mechanical qualities, natural fiber composites such as kenaf are a prospective substitute for synthetic fiber. Kenaf is the most promising alternative for replacing synthetic fibers in order to achieve the environmental preservation while simultaneously exhibiting great properties such as equivalent specific strength, low density, and renewable resources. Treated kenaf fiber was added to ABS with varying loading (10, 15, 20 and 25 wt.%) via Two Roll Mill machine. The influence of the fiber on the composites was evaluated for water absorption properties. The water absorption test was conducted for 5 days referring to the ASTM D570. The morphology of produced composite was investigated using JOEL Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) at 200X magnifications. The incorporation of the treated kenaf fiber has an influence on the properties of kenaf/ABS composites. The fiber was well dispersed in the matrix and showed good adhesion to the ABS. Kenaf/ABS composites showed an increment of water absorbed with an increment of fiber loading. Keywords: Water absorption; kenaf; ABS composites; morphology; natural fiber 1. Introduction Composites materials are state-of-the-art and the applications of these materials are highly in demand. The specialty of composite materials is the combination of more than one group of materials that gives the ultimate properties of the combined materials [1]. Composite materials allow variation of the properties to suit the products requirement, owing to their composition of several types of matrix and reinforcing materials as reported by Krzyżak et al., [2]. The reinforcement of composite is in the form of fibers, particles, flakes, or fillers surrounded by the matrix material. Studies by Zainal et al., [3] and Cavdar et al., [4] stated that the properties of composite also depend on the types, shapes, lengths, and orientation of the fibers. One of the highly demanded composites is fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRP) has many applications in engineering industries and are vastly used for automotive, structural, and * Corresponding author. E-mail address: rabiatul@uctati.edu.my https://doi.org/10.37934/arfmts.99.2.180186