Tensile and Bending Strength Analysis of Ramie Fiber and Woven Ramie Reinforced Epoxy Composite
Zulkifli Djafar, Ilyas Renreng, Miftahul Jannah
Abstract
This study aims to analyze the effect of the number of woven ramie layers (plies) and ramie fiber weight as reinforcement of composite on the tensile strength and bending strength. The woven ramie reinforced composites are divided into five types including 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 layers (plies). For ramie fiber, it is divided also into five types based on the weight of fibers as reinforcement: A, B, C, D, and E. The weight of ramie fiber types was adapted by the weight of woven ramie fiber types. All composite types were evaluated by tensile and bending test. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopes (SEM) were used to analyze the chemical change in the composite and fractural tensile morphology of composite, respectively. The results show that the number of woven ramie layers and the ramie fiber weight in the composite greatly affects the tensile strength and bending strength of the composite. The highest tensile and bending strengths were found in five layers (plies) of woven ramie composite, while for ramie fiber in the composite the highest tensile and bending strengths were found in E type.