PENGARUH PERBANDINGAN VOLUME SERAT TERHADAP KEKUATAN MEKANIS KOMPOSIT HYBRID SERAT TANDAN KOSONG KELAPA SAWIT (TKKS)-EGLASS/EPOKSI
Abstract
Composite technology continues to grow rapidly over time. One of its developments is hybrid composites. Hybrid composites are a combination of two different types of fibers in one matrix. An example of innovation is the use of natural fibers as one of the reinforcing materials. Some natural fibers have high tensile strength and modulus of elasticity, one of which is Palm Oil Empty Bunch (TKKS) fibers. The use of OPEFB fibers aims to utilize OPEFB waste to be more useful and economically valuable. OPEFB fiber itself has been researched and used in several applications in the automotive field. Hybridization of OPEFB fiber with glass fiber reinforced epoxy matrix with variations in fiber volume ratio aims to determine the variation of the best fiber ratio, determine the composite fracture structure, and determine the feasibility of composite material as a candidate for alternative materials to replace the plastic material in helmet shell application. This study uses the hand lay up method with random fiber variations. The fiber used is OPEFB fiber with 15 mm fiber length and e-glass fiber with 25 mm with epoxy resin matrix. The volume fraction used is 60%: 40%. The variation used is the ratio of OPEFB fibers and e-glass fibers of 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1. Treatment of OPEFB fiber with immersion and boiling for 1.5 hours, treatment of e-glass fiber with 400ºC muffle furnace for 30 minutes. Pressed using a cold press machine for 7-8 hours at 120 Kg/cm². Tensile and impact testing refers to ASTM D638 and ASTM D6110 standards. Composite fractures were characterized using optical micoscopes to determine fault structure and fiber distribution. Based on the results of testing and characterization, it can be concluded that the addition of e-glass fibers can increase the mechanical strength of TKKS/epoxy composites. The highest average value of composite tensile strength is produced by variations of 1 TKKS: 2 Eglass of 98.66 Mpa, with a maximum elongation value of 2.260%. While the highest average value of impact strength is generated by variations of 1 TKKS: 2 Eglass of 61.12 KJ / m2. With absorbency energy the maximum impact test is 1,868 J. The value of the mechanical strength properties is expected to equal or even exceed the value of the mechanical strength of the helmet shell of the SNI standard.