Analysis of the fracture area of tensile test for natural woven fiber composites (hibiscus tiliaceus-polyester)

The natural fiber is currently widely applied in aerospace applications and the transportation sector. The problem that often arises is the area of failure can be hardly predicted. This condition making it difficult to use fiber in a more complex application. The purpose of this study is to investigate the fracture area of woven natural fiber composites. Hibiscus tiliaceus bast fibers, as reinforcement, were prepared with alkali treatment using NaOH solution and then were added by the coupling agent. The composite was formed using a woven fiber arrangement with 60:40 fiber-matrices mass ratio using a vacuum pressure resin infusion method. The tensile test on the specimens was done on the ASTM D638-03 standard and fracture analysis was performed based on tensile tests. The results of the study show that the narrowing of the fracture area in composites was better and more predictable.