The toughness of polymer reinforced pineapple-leaf fibers for the electric car body application

Abstract

Pineapple-leaf fiber (PALF) belongs to the plant-based fiber group that has been highly abundant recently. However, PALF was no longer used and thrown away as agricultural waste. In fact, PALF can be used as alternative reinforcement for composite materials due to its properties. Composite materials have been used in the aircraft, automotive and household furniture industries. The objective of this research was to investigate the impact properties of epoxy resin matrix reinforced with glass fiber and PALF. The ASTM D256-23 standard was carried out when performing the impact test. The result showed that the composite material consists of PALF had higher impact strength compared to the composite reinforced by glass fiber. The compatibilities of fiber and matrix became main factor that affect significantly the value. This was confirmed by the porosities test results. Therefore, PALF was proven its reliability to substitute the synthetic one such as glass fiber to strengthening the composite materials for electric vehicle body application.