Studies on Tensile and Water Absorption Properties on Kenaf (Hibiscus Cannabinus) Fibre Mat/Polyester Composite Using Chemical Treatment Mohamad Nurul Azman Mohammad Taib a , Masitah Abu Kassim b , Mohd AriffJamaludin c , Tayibbah Ismail d Faculty of Applied Sciences, University Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, MALAYSIA a aman_peace04@yahoo.com, b masitah3909@salam.uitm.edu.my, c mohda310@salam.uitm.my, d taiyibahismail@yahoo.com Keywords: Polyester composite, Tensile, Water absorption, Kenaf, Acetylation Abstract. This research investigated the tensile and water absorption properties of kenaf fibre mat/polyester composites. Treatment using acetylation method has been introduced to improve the properties of product manufactured. The effects of acetylation treatment with three variations of time that were 1, 4 and 24 hours on the kenaf fibre mats were investigated. The MOE of the tensile of treated fibre mat/polyester composite for 1 hour was the highest with value 4589.61 MPa. The tensile strength of treated fibre mat/polyester composite for 4 hours was the highest with value 0.6213 MPa. For water absorption test, the results showed that fibre mat/polyester composite with treatment duration for 1 hour had the lowest water absorption that was 1.23% compared with treatment duration for 4 hours and 24 hours. For overall it can be concluded that the treatment duration of 1 hour was recommended for acetylation method when compared with 4 hours and 24 hours duration treatments. Using acetylation treatment on the kenaf fibre mat/polyester composites was showed improvement on composite and was recommended in short duration of treatment. Introduction Over the last few years, a number of researchers have been involved in investigate the exploitation of natural fibres as a load bearing constituents in composite materials are increases. The use of natural fibres materials in composites has increased due to their relative cheapness, their ability to recycle and for the fact that they can compete well in terms of strength per weight materials [1,2]. The biodegradability of plant fibres can contribute to a healthy ecosystem while their low cost and high performance fulfils the economic interest of industry [3,4,5]. The natural fibres can be considered as naturally occurring composites consisting mainly of cellulose fibrils embedded in lignin matrix. The cellulose fibrils are aligned along the length of fibre, which render maximum tensile and flexural strength, in addition to provide rigidity. The reinforcement efficiency of natural fibre is related to the nature of cellulose and its crystallinity properties. The main components of natural fibres are cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, pectins, and waxes [6]. The matrix in a fibre-reinforced composite holds the fibres together, transfers applied loads to those fibres and protects them from mechanical damage and other environmental factors. The matrix in most common traditional composites comprises a thermoplastic or thermoset polymer, examples are polyethylene and unsaturated polyester, respectively. The manufacture of true bio-composites demands that the matrix be made predominantly from renewable resources, although the current state of biopolymer technology dictates that synthetic thermoplastics and thermosets dominate commercial bio-composite production [4,7]. The thermoplastics have several advantages such as high impact strength, finish recyclable or scrap that can reusable, no emissions, can bind to other thermoplastics and can be moulded or shaped with reheat. Besides that, it also has some disadvantages such as generally softens with heat and more difficult to prototype. The examples of the thermoplastics are polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). Kenaf (Hibiscus Cannabinus, L. family Malvaceae) is seen as an herbaceous annual plant that can be grown under a wide range of weather condition, for example, it grows to more than 3 m within 3 months even in moderate ambient conditions with stem diameter of 25-51mm. It is also a Applied Mechanics and Materials Vol. 421 (2013) pp 290-295 Online available since 2013/Sep/11 at www.scientific.net © (2013) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.421.290 All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of TTP, www.ttp.net. (ID: 202.58.86.15, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Shah Alam, Malaysia-21/10/13,16:20:57)