Properties of Coconut Fibres Reinforced Cashew Nut Shell Resin (Published)
Cashew Nut Shell Resin (CNSR) was reinforced with chemically modified coconut fibres. Modified fibres were treated with alkali solutions of NaOH (10%) and bleached with sodium hypochlorite. The bio-composites were fabricated using hand lay-up technique. The tensile tests showed that the mechanical properties (modulus, strength, and elongation at break for the tensile, compressive and bending) of composite improved significantly when compared with the fibre. The tensile strength improved by more than 200% while the Young modulus increased by over 305% in comparison with the fibre. Strain at break decreased by 61.76%. The compressive properties show that the strength increases by 169% while the Young Modulus increases by 53.05% and the compressive strain at break increases by 122.86%. SEM failure mode of all testing were observed to the same. Tensile failure was brittle in all nature with fibre pull-out in the same direction which is an indication of low speed failure. Specimens failed equally by matrix shear failure with constant debonding
Keywords: Mechanical Properties, Natural fibres; natural resin; cashew nut shell resin; coconut fibres