Mechanical characteristics of polyester filled with palm fibers and ash particles

Abstract

This study investigated the mechanical properties of polyester matrix reinforced with surface-modified fibers derived from oil
palms and surface-modified ceramic fly ash particles obtained from a coal-fired power plant. Two different composite materials
were made: the first composite was made with only an increased percentage of fibers, and the second composite contained both
a constant amount of fly ash and the different fiber content. The investigation of the mechanical properties included hardness,
tensile strength, impact strength and corresponding fractographic analysis of the composites. It has been shown that the
composites containing fly ash are superior in hardness and tensile strength, but lower in toughness. Factorography and image
processing further demonstrated and explained the behavior of palm oil fibers and fly ash particles within the polyester matrix.