Preliminary Study of Non-woven Composite: Effect of Needle Punching and Kenaf Fiber Loadings on Non-woven Thermoplastic Composites Prepared From Kenaf and Polypropylene Fiber

Non-woven composites were produced using kenaf (bast) fiber and polypropylene (PP) fiber. The effects of needle punching process, number of needle and kenaf fiber loadings on the properties of non-woven composite were studied. The aspect ratio of kenaf fiber was also measured in this study. The aspect ratio of most of kenaf fiber used was in the range of 200–400. The results indicated that the mechanical strength of the non-woven composite was significantly influenced by the percentage of kenaf fiber. This may due to the evenly mixed kenaf and PP fibers during carding process prior to the mechanical interlocking by needle punching process. The tensile strength, modulus and toughness were enhanced with the incorporation of carded and needle punched fibers. The number of needle used in needle punching process had a significant effect on the strength of the composite. This was evident in SEM micrograph where composite prepared from carded to needle punched non-woven web showed better wettability as compared to composite prepared from carded non-woven web only. However, no significant difference was observed in water absorption and thickness swelling tests for composites prepared with different number of needles.