Abstract
The incorporations of synthetic fibers have raised worrying concerns, so an alternative material which is inexpensive and ecological resources is proposed.Kenaf fiber has high tensile modulus and elongation at break and potentially to be used as reinforcing fibers in FRP composites to replace synthetic fibers.This study aims to investigate the mechanical properties (unnotched strength, elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, shear modulus and fracture energy) of woven fabric kenaf fiber-reinforced polymer (KFRP) testing coupons (notched and unnotched), usually employed within numerical modelling.A quasi-static tensile test was performed to investigate the variations of KFRP coupons, such as woven architecture types and KFRP thickness with cross-ply arrangements.Sikadur-31 (epoxy resin) was used as a matrix in KFRP coupons.As kenaf volume fractions and KFRP coupon thickness increased, mechanical properties of KFRP coupons were substantially improved.