the effect of lamina orientation angle on the tensile strength and impact strength of banana fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites

Abstract

This study aims to determine the effect of lamina orientation angles on the tensile strength and impact strength of banana stem fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites (polyester resin). The utilization of banana stem fiber as a reinforcing material in composites is one of the efforts to develop environmentally friendly materials that have the potential to replace synthetic fibers. In this study, banana stem fibers were arranged in lamina orientation angles of 0°/45°/90°/135°/0° with fiber-to-resin composition variations of 5% banana fiber : 95% polyester resin and 10% banana fiber : 90% polyester resin. Mechanical property testing included tensile testing based on the astm d638 standard and charpy impact testing. The results showed that the composite containing 10% banana fiber and 90% polyester resin exhibited better mechanical properties than the composite containing 5% banana fiber and 95% polyester resin. The tensile test results indicated an average tensile strength of 22.59 n/mm² for the 5% fiber composite and 23.90 n/mm² for the 10% fiber composite. Meanwhile, the impact test results showed an average impact toughness of 6,065.09 j/m² for the 5% fiber composite and 7,834.74 j/m² for the 10% fiber composite. The increase in banana fiber content contributed to the improvement of the composite's ability to withstand tensile and impact loads. Variations in the obtained values were influenced by uneven fiber distribution and the presence of porosity within the composite material. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the addition of banana stem fiber up to 10% in polyester matrix composites with a lamina orientation sequence of 0°/45°/90°/135°/0° can improve both tensile strength and impact toughness..