Effect of Surface Modification on the Impact Strength and Hardness of Areca Husk Fibre Reinforced Polyester Resin Composite

Reinforced natural fibre composite materials are attracting greater attention in the area of material engineering due to their low density, low cost and higher mechanical strength. In the present study, the Areca Husk Fiber (AHF) was extracted through the retting process. The surface modification of AHF was done by chemical treatments such as mercerization, potassium permanganate treatment, benzoylation, acrylation and acetylation. The surface modification was studied through FE-SEM imaging. The composites of surface modified AHF reinforced polyester resin composites were prepared as per ASTM standards using polyester resin as matrix material and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKPO) as hardener. The Izod-Charpy impact strength, Hardness (Shore-) hardness analysis was carried out to study the mechanical behaviour of the composites. The results showed that surface modification of AHF can enhance the impact strength of the composite materials but not the hardness of the composites.