Effect Of Post-Curing Treatment Temperature On The Tensile Strength And Impact Resistance Of Coconut Fiber-Reinforced Polyester Composites

Composite material is an engineered material created by combining two or more materials to produce enhanced mechanical properties compared to its constituent materials. This study focuses on natural fiber composites using coconut fiber as reinforcement with a polyester matrix. Post-curing treatment is applied to improve the mechanical strength of the composite. Post-curing is a heating process at a specific temperature aimed at enhancing the properties of the composite. The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of post-curing temperature on the impact strength of polyester-coconut fiber composites. The specimens were fabricated using the mixing method for material blending and hand lay-up for composite formation, following the standards of ASTM D638-02 Type I and ASTM D256 for impact testing. The specimens were heated in an oven at various temperatures: non-post curing, 110°C, 120°C, and 130°C, each for one hour. Impact testing was conducted using a Mory Testing Machine. The results showed that the composite with a post-curing temperature of 120°C achieved optimum tensile strength of 9.2 N/mm² and impact strength of 0.1663 J/mm². Based on these findings, the polyester-coconut fiber composite can be used as material for particleboard type 100 and meets the SNI 03-2105- 1996 standards for tensile and impact strength. Additionally, this composite has the potential to be used as an alternative material for manufacturing SNI-standard helmet