Investigation on the Mechanical Properties of Coconut Leaf Stalk Fibres Reinforced Composites

The use of coconut leaf stalk fibers in composites has rarely been investigated. This study focuses on the use of Malayan Dwarf coconut leaf stalk fibers as reinforcement in a polyester matrix. After extracting the fibers, the optimum concentration of sodium hydroxide for their mercerization was determined. This was, firstly, done through tensile, contact angle, FTIR, and SEM tests. They were supplemented by preliminary tensile tests which were performed on composites, with 0.5% fiber content (by weight). The selection of the optimum mercerization process led to the production of the composites for further investigations. Two types of plain weave arrangement (single layer and multiple layers) of the fiber reinforcements were considered, with increasing fiber loading. For the mercerization process, 5% sodium hydroxide treatment was found to produce composites with better mechanical properties. The composite, with the single layer arrangement and 1.5% fiber loading, was found to have the highest tensile (46 MPa) and flexural (149 MPa) strength. Two-way ANOVA was used to confirm that the means of the strengths, of the various types of composites tested were not the same. The results of this study are expected to lead to a more sustainable use of waste coconut leaves.