Analisis Kekuatan Tarik Dan Struktur Mikro Komposit Serat Pelepah Kelapa Berbasis Resin POLYESTER Dengan Variasi Orientasi Serat

The exploration of eco-friendly composite materials incorporating agricultural biomass waste has intensified to attenuate reliance on conventional synthetic components. This investigation evaluated the tensile mechanical behavior and micromorphological failure characteristics of coconut frond fiber-reinforced composites bound within a polyester matrix, utilizing varying fiber orientation angles (0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°). Test specimens were fabricated via the manual hand lay-up technique and subjected to tensile testing following the ASTM D638 standard, followed by microstructural failure characterization using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) aligned with ASTM E986 protocols.
Experimental findings revealed that fiber inclination angles exerted a significant, non-linear impact on the mechanical response of the material. The lowest mean tensile strength was recorded in the 30° oriented specimens at 8.53 MPa, dictated by the dominance of interlaminar shear stresses along the fiber-matrix interface. Conversely, peak mechanical performance was achieved at a 60° orientation, yielding an ultimate tensile strength of 22.18 MPa, driven by effective inter-fiber mechanical interlocking and optimized load redistribution. SEM micrographs corroborated that brittle fracture governed the ultimate failure mode, accompanied by micro-voids, interfacial debonding, and fiber pull-out phenomena. These outcomes substantiate that engineered coconut frond composite laminates at a 60° layout hold strong promise for implementation as light structural green alternatives to synthetic timber boards.