TENSILE STRENGTH AND HARDNESS OF POLYPROPYLENE-BAMBOO/KENAF HYBRID COMPOSITE AFTER OPTIMIZATION OF PRODUCTION PROCESS

Abstract

While in use and when not, engineering materials occasionally exhibit poor characteristics and perform poorly as a result of internal or external factors. Therefore, there is a need to improve the protection of the composites from the various agents and improve their mechanical properties. This study's objective was to assess the impact of bamboo/kenaf hybrid fibres, Maleic Anhydride Grafted Polypropylene (MAHgPP), Hinder Amine Light Stabiliser (HALS), and Calcium Carbonate (CaCO₃) additions on tensile strength and hardness at various levels, as well as their interactions on polypropylene (PP) composites. The manufacturing of the composites was accomplished through the compression molding process. The study was conducted using Taguchi orthogonal array L₂₇ with fiber, MAHgPP, HALS, and CaCO₃ as input parameters. A robust optimization technique for product and process design (Taguchi method ) was used to optimize the parameter settings for the tensile strength and hardness of the composite. Results showed that the tensile strength of the resultant composite ranged from 37.60 MPa to 53.57 MPa; while the hardness value ranged from 70.32 (Shore A) to 93.03 (Shore A). The optimized composite had a tensile strength of 49.12 MPa and a hardness of 79.85 (Shores A).  The factors settings that gave the combined optimum tensile strength and hardness for the bamboo/kenaf fiber are 36.87% fiber, 5% MAHgPP, 1% HALS, and 3% CaCO₃. therefore the best tensile strength and hardness performance of the composite was obtained from the optimum setting.