Effects of Alkaline Treatment on Flexural Strength and Hardness Values of Okra Bast Fibre/Unsaturated Polyester Resin Composites
Ahmed TijjaniSule*; Hindatu Umar Idris; Abu S. Lawal, & Abdullahi Danladi
Department of Textile Technology and Fashion, Kano State Polytechnic, Kano-Nigeria
Department of Art and Industrial Design, Kano State Polytechnic, Kano-Nigeria
Department of Polymer and Textile Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria-Nigeria
Email: amirgetso@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Composites of okra bast fibre (OBF) reinforced unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) was produced using the hand layup technique. The fibres were treated with of 5%, 10% and 15% concentrations of NaOH solutions and composites were prepared with variations in filler content. The composites were subjected to tests to evaluate their mechanical properties. Tensile strength, young’s modulus, flexural and hardness were found to increase with increase in filler content and NaOH concentration. This could be due to better interfacial bonding between the OBF and UPR.
Keywords: Okra bast fibre, unsaturated polyester resin, tensile strength, Young’s modulus, Hardness, and flexural strength.
