Studi Pengaruh Komposisi, Susunan, dan Perlakuan Hidrogen Peroksida Terhadap Uji Bending Material Komposit Berpenguat Serat Pelepah Kelapa Sawit

Abstract

Natural fiber-based composite materials are increasingly being developed as eco-friendly and sustainable alternatives to synthetic materials. One promising type of natural fiber that can be used as a composite reinforcement is oil palm frond fiber. This fiber offers several advantages, including relatively good mechanical strength, abundant availability, and low production cost. This study aims to design and evaluate the mechanical performance of a composite material reinforced with oil palm frond fiber by varying the fiber-to-matrix composition, fiber arrangement, and chemical treatment using hydrogen peroxide (Hâ‚‚Oâ‚‚). Three fiber-to-matrix composition ratios were tested: 40%:60%, 45%:55%, and 50%:50%, along with three types of fiber arrangements: aligned, random, and combined. Additionally, the fibers were tested under two conditions: untreated and treated with Hâ‚‚Oâ‚‚. Based on a full factorial design of experiments, the highest bending test value was recorded in experiment 8, reaching 40.14 MPa, with the optimal process parameters being a 45%:55% fiber-to-matrix composition, aligned fiber arrangement, and Hâ‚‚Oâ‚‚-treated fibers. Furthermore, statistical analysis using two-way ANOVA revealed that fiber arrangement (Factor B) had the most significant effect, contributing 40.20% to the bending strength, followed by fiber volume fraction (Factor A) at 33.84%, and chemical treatment (Factor C) at 6.04%.