Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 22 No 5 (2018): 906 - 913

DOI: 10.17576/mjas-2018-2205-19

 

 

 

MENGKUANG FIBER REINFORCED THERMOPLASTIC NATURAL RUBBER COMPOSITES: INFLUENCE OF RUBBER CONTENT ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND MORPHOLOGY

 

 (Komposit Termoplastik Getah Asli Diperkuat Serabut Mengkuang: Pengaruh Kandungan Getah ke atas Sifat Mekanik dan Morfologi)

 

Wan Zarina Wan Mohamed^{1, 2}, Azizah Baharum^{1, 3}*, Ishak Ahmad^{1, 3}, Ibrahim Abdullah⁴, Nurzam Ezdiani Zakaria¹

 

¹School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology, Faculty of Sciences and Technology,

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi Selangor, Malaysia

²Faculty of Engineering and Life Sciences,

Universiti Selangor, 45600 Bestari Jaya Selangor, Malaysia

³Polymer Research Center, Faculty of Science and Technology,

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi Selangor, Malaysia

⁴Academy Sciences of Malaysia, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding email:  azeiss@ukm.edu.my

 

 

Received: 20 July 2017; Accepted: 28 April 2018

 

 

Abstract

This paper presents the influence of rubber on mengkuang (MK) reinforced thermoplastic composites as the rubber content appeared to increase at low fibre loading of 10% MK and high fibre loading of 30% MK. The MK fibre was blended with high density polyethylene (HDPE) and natural rubber (NR) through melt blending via internal mixer. The MK composites at 10% MK fibre loading exhibited higher tensile strength, tensile strain at break, and impact strength; but lower tensile modulus than MK composites at 30% fibre loading. Both fibre contents showed that the tensile strength and the tensile modulus decreased, while tensile strain at break and impact strength seemed to increase as the rubber content increased up to 40%. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) micrograph was employed to observe the fibre dispersion, as well as physical interactions between the fibre and the matrix.  This study showed that the effects of MK fibre loading on mechanical properties and morphology were influenced by rubber content.

 

Keywords:  rubber, polymer composites, mengkuang fibre, mechanical properties, morphology

 

Abstrak

Kertas kerja ini membentangkan pengaruh getah ke atas komposit termoplastik diperkuat serabut mengkuang (MK) dengan peningkatan kandungan getah pada muatan serabut rendah MK 10% dan muatan serabut tinggi MK 30%. Serabut MK telah diadun bersama polietilena berketumpatan tinggi (HDPE) dan getah asli (NR) melalui pengadunan lebur dengan pencampur dalaman. Komposit MK pada muatan serabut 10% menunjukkan kekuatan regangan, kekuatan terikan pada takat putus, dan kekuatan hentaman yang lebih tinggi; tetapi modulus regangan yang rendah berbanding komposit MK pada muatan serabut 30%. Kedua-dua muatan serabut menunjukkan kekuatan regangan dan modulus regangan menurun, sementara kekuatan terikan regangan takat putus dan kekuatan hentaman seperti meningkat dengan pertambahan kandungan getah sehingga 40%. Sebaran serabut MK dan interaksi fizikal antara serabut dan matrik telah diperhati menerusi mikroskop elektron imbasan pancaran medan (FESEM). Kajian telah menunjukkan kesan muatan serabut MK terhadap sifat mekanikal dan morfologi komposit mengkuang dipengaruhi oleh kandungan getah.

 

Kata kunci:  getah, komposit polimer, serabut mengkuang, sifat mekanik, morfologi

 

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