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com

Physical and Mechanical Properties of Woven

Kenaf/Bamboo Fiber Mat Reinforced Epoxy Hybrid
Composites
Ahmad Safwan Ismail,a Mohammad Jawaid,a,b,* Mohamed T. H. Sultan,a,b,c and
Azman Hassan d

Research interest has shifted from synthetic fiber to natural fiber due to
environmental concerns and government regulation. This study evaluated
the physical and mechanical properties of kenaf(K)/bamboo(B) fiber mat
reinforced epoxy hybrid composites. Kenaf, bamboo, and kenaf/bamboo
hybrid composites were prepared using the hand lay-up method at 40%
wt total fiber loading. Different ratios of kenaf to bamboo fibers, such as
70:30(3B7K), 50:50(BK), and 30:70(7B3K), were used to fabricate the
hybrid composites. Kenaf composite and bamboo composite were
fabricated as controls. Mechanical (flexural and impact), morphological,
and physical properties (thickness swelling, water absorption, and density)
were examined. The density, water absorption and thickness swelling of
the composites increased as the kenaf weight ratio increased. The flexural
properties of kenaf composites were improved by hybridization with
bamboo fiber, whereas the impact properties of bamboo were improved
by hybridization with a woven kenaf mat. Hybrid composites with a 50:50
ratio showed the highest flexural and impact strength. Scanning electron
microscopy (SEM) of flexural fracture showed that 50:50(BK) displayed
better interfacial adhesion than the other two ratios. The woven
kenaf/bamboo hybrid composite is suitable for use in the fabrication of
automotive components.

Keywords: Composite; Kenaf; Bamboo; Natural fiber polymer composite; Physical properties;
Flexural properties; Impact properties

Contact information: a: Laboratory of Biocomposite Technology, Institute of Tropical Forestry and

Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan,
Malaysia; b: Aerospace Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), Level 7, Tower Block, Faculty of
Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; c: Department of
Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang,
Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; d: Department of Polymer Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and
Petroleum, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor Bharu, Malaysia;
* Corresponding author: jawaid_md@yahoo.co.in

INTRODUCTION

Fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPC) are used in various fields. Usually,

FRPC contain synthetic fibers, which produce composites with superior properties.
Synthetic fibers have been used in the aerospace, automotive, and wind energy industries
(Rana and Fangueiro 2016). However, there are a number of environmental issues related
to the industrial use of synthetic fibers, which include energy consumption during their
production and products that are difficult to dispose. For example, production of glass
fibers consumes a lot of fossil fuels (Abdul Khalil et al. 2007a). There are no suitable ways
to dispose of FRPC, even with energy recovery using an incinerator (Okubo et al. 2004).

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As a petroleum-based material, synthetic fibers are non-renewable. Increasing interest in
green and renewable material has encouraged researchers to study the properties of natural
fiber in order to replace or reduce the use of synthetic fibers and polymers. Incorporation
of natural fibers can improve the properties of composites, reduce polymer usage, and
decrease production cost. In the automotive industries, natural fiber reinforced polymer
composites have been used for various for interior and exterior components of vehicles
(Holbery and Houston 2006).
There are three sources of natural fibers: animal, plant, and mineral. Plant fibers are
commonly used as reinforcement in composite materials. Kenaf, hemp, and jute are
examples of natural fibers sourced from plants. These fibers are readily and commercially
available in the market. Additionally, these fibers are cheaper than synthetic fibers that are
currently being used. In 1940, kenaf fiber was used to make carpet backing, packing
materials, papers, and fencing (Tiwari and Srivastava 2012). Kenaf bast fibers possess
striking mechanical properties that make them suitable reinforcing materials to replace
glass fiber in polymer composites (Faruk et al. 2012; Paridah et al. 2011). Bamboo has
been used as a structural element in pre-industrial architecture in Asian and South
American countries (Tara Sen and Reddy 2011). Natural fiber reinforced polymer
composite has comparable mechanical properties to glass reinforced polymer composite
(Faruk et al. 2012; Krishna and Kanny 2016; Sanjay et al. 2018). The properties of natural
fiber reinforced polymer composites depend on fiber selection, matrix selection, interfacial
strength, fiber dispersion, fiber orientation, composite manufacturing process, and porosity
(Pickering et al. 2016). Additionally, properties of natural fibers depend on the type of
plant, extraction process, maturity of fiber, and locality where it is grown. Fiber selection
is important since every fiber has its own unique properties. The two reinforcing elements
ought to provide unique combinations of properties or synergistic effects as a “hybrid
composite”, which then can be used for different applications (Hubbe 2017).
El-Shekeil et al. (2012) studied the influence of fiber content (20%, 30%, 40%, and
50%) on the mechanical properties of kenaf fiber reinforced polyurethane. This study
showed that the tensile strength of the composite increased as fiber loading increased, up
to 30% of fiber loading. Composites with 40% fiber loading showed the second highest
tensile strength. The tensile modulus, flexural strength, and modulus increased with each
increment in fiber loading. Mahjoub et al. (2014) reported that continuous unidirectional
kenaf fiber reinforced epoxy composites with different fiber volumes have variable tensile
strength. The 40% fiber volume, which was the highest fiber content that was tested,
yielded optimum tensile properties for the composite. Similar findings were documented
in their analytical analysis using the rule of mixtures (ROM). Researchers reported studies
using bamboo fibre as reinforcement for fabrication of natural fiber reinforced polyester
composites (Ratna Prasad and Mohana Rao 2011). Different types of fiber were used such
as jowar, sisal, and bamboo. The effect of different volume fractions were evaluated and
0.4 volume fraction showed the optimum mechanical properties.
Researchers investigated how the use of more than one type of reinforcement
affected the performance of different composites. Hybrid composites can be made either
using natural fibers or natural fibers with synthetic fibers depending on the application.
Maleque et al. (2012) studied the flexural and impact properties of kenaf/glass hybrid
composites with different ratios. In this study, untreated and treated kenaf were used.
Treated kenaf/glass hybrid with a ratio of 50:50 showed the highest flexural strength, while
untreated kenaf/glass hybrid with a ratio of 50:50 showed the highest value of impact
strength. Asim et al. (2017) studied the effect of hybridization on the mechanical properties

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of pineapple leaf fiber (PALF)/kenaf (K) phenolic hybrid composite. Different ratios of
pineapple leaf fiber to kenaf fiber (PALF:K) were used ( 100:0, 70:30, 50:50, 30:70, and
0:100). It was shown that the optimum mechanical properties of hybrid composite was
obtained when a 30:70 ratio of pineapple leaf fiber to kenaf fiber was used. Researchers
have studied the effect of bamboo fiber on the physical and mechanical properties of
glass/polyester composites (Vaghasia and Rachchh 2018). The percentage of glass fiber
was maintain at 19%, and the percentage of bamboo was varied at 3%, 6%, 9%, 12%, and
15%. In general terms, the physical and mechanical properties increased as the percentage
of bamboo fiber was increase up to 9%.
Bamboo has been utilised in composites as reinforcement; it has comparable
mechanical properties to glass fiber (Rawi et al. 2013). Its high mechanical properties have
attracted the interest of researchers to explore the potential for kenaf and bamboo fiber as
reinforcement. This research work was intended to develop and characterize woven
kenaf/bamboo hybrid composites for use in the automotive industries. In this study,
bamboo mat was used to improve the properties of woven kenaf reinforced epoxy
composite. Woven kenaf/bamboo reinforced epoxy hybrid composites were fabricated
using the hand lay-up method with different ratios of kenaf and bamboo fibers. Mechanical
properties such as flexural and impact properties were evaluated. In addition, density, water
absorption, and thickness swelling of composites were carried out to study the effect of
hybridization of kenaf and bamboo on physical properties.

EXPERIMENTAL

Materials
The woven kenaf fiber mat was supplied by Zul Sdn Bhd, Malaysia. The bamboo
mat was procured from Shijiangzhuang Bi Yang Technology Co. Ltd, Hebei, China. D.E.R
* 331 epoxy resin (reaction product of epichlorohydrin and bisphenol A) and the epoxy
hardener Jointmine 905-3S (modified cycloaliphatic amine) were used in this study. Silicon
spray was used as a releasing agent. The epoxy resin, commercial curing agent, and silicon
spray were obtained from Tazdiq Engineering Sdn. Bhd., Selangor, Malaysia. Figure 1
shows the woven kenaf mat and bamboo mat. The properties of epoxy hardener Jointmine
905-3S and epoxy resin are shown in Tables 1 and 2, respectively.

Fig. 1. a) Woven kenaf mat and b) bamboo mat

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Table 1. Typical Properties for Hardeners
Property Value
Amine value (mg KOH/g) 300 ± 20
Viscosity (BH type @25ºC, cPs) 200 ∼ 400
Color (Gardner) <2
Equivalent Wt (H) 95
Pot life (100 g @25°C) 75 min
Hardness (Shore D) 85
Thin film set time (@25°C) 5h

Table 2. Typical Properties for Epoxy Resin

Property Value
Epoxide Equivalent Weight (g/eq) 182 – 192
Epoxide Percentage (%) 22.4 – 23.6
Epoxide Group Content (mmol/kg) 5200 – 5500
Color (Platinum Cobalt) 75 Max.
Viscosity @ 25°C (mPa•s) 11000 – 14000
Hydrolyzable Chloride Content (ppm) 500 Max.
Water Content (ppm) 700 Max.
Density @ 25°C (g/mL) 1.16
Epichlorohydrin Content (ppm) 5 Max.
Shelf Life (Months) 24

Fabrication of composites
The hand lay-up method was used to fabricate the bamboo mat, kenaf mat, and
hybrid kenaf/bamboo. The bamboo mat and woven kenaf were cut according to mould size,
300 mm × 300 mm, and put in the oven at 60 °C for 24 h to remove moisture. The epoxy
and hardener were mixed with a 2:1 ratio and stirred with wooden stick at room temperature
for 2 to 4 min. The mould was sprayed with a thin layer of silicon spray, which acts as a
releasing agent. Hybrid composites of kenaf and bamboo were prepared with different
weight ratios of 70:30, 50:50, and 30:70, with total fiber loading at 40% by weight. A thin
layer of epoxy was poured into the mould followed by the bamboo and woven kenaf mats.
Epoxy was applied on every layer of the mats. The mould was transfer into a hot press with
a temperature of 110 °C for 10 min, then transferred into a cold press for 5 min before it
was demoulded. A single woven kenaf mat and bamboo mat were prepared as reference.
Figure 2 shows the prepared samples.

Fig. 2. a) Kenaf (K), b) B 70: K 30 (7B3K), c) B 50: K 50 (BK) d) B 30: K 70 (3B7K), e) Bamboo (B)

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Characterization
Density
The density of the composites was measured using the ASTM D 1895-96 (2003)
standard. The density of the samples was calculated by using Eq. 1,
Density (g / cm3) = m / v (1)
where m is the weight of composite sample, and v is the sample volume.

Water absorption
The test specimen for water absorption (with dimensions of 20 mm x 20 mm x 5
mm) was prepared and tested according to ASTM D 570-98 (2010). The initial weight of
the test specimen (Wd) was measured and recorded before immersion in distilled water.
The weight of test specimen (Wn) was measured and recorded every 24 h for a week. Water
absorption of the composites were calculated using Eq. 2,
Wn  Wd
Water absorption(%)  x100 (2)
Wd
where Wn is the weight of composites samples after immersion and Wd is the weight of
the composite samples before immersion.

Thickness swelling
The test specimen for thickness swelling (with dimensions of 20 mm x 20 mm x 5
mm) was prepared and tested according to ASTM D 570-98 (2010). The initial thickness
of the test specimen was measured and recorded before it was immersed in distilled water.
The test specimen’s thickness was measured and recorded every 24 h for a week. Thickness
swelling of the samples was calculated using Eq. 3,
T1  T0
Thickness Swelling (%)  x100 (3)
T0
where T1 is the thickness after soaking and T0 is the thickness before soaking.

Flexural testing
The tensile test specimen had dimensions of 160 mm × 20 mm × 5 mm and was
prepared and tested according to ASTM D790 (2015) using a 30 kN Bluehill INSTRON
5567 universal testing machine (Shakopee, USA). The support span was 16 times the
specimen depth, and the testing speed was calculate using Eq. 4. The samples were put in
a conditioning chamber for one day at 23 ± 3 ºC and relative humidity of 50 ± 10%. In
every sample, five replications were tested, and the average value was tabulated,
R = 0.01L2 / 6d (4)
where R is the rate of crosshead motion (mm/min), L is the support span (mm), and d is
the depth of beam (mm).

Impact testing
Notched Izod impact test specimens (with dimensions of 70 mm × 15 mm × 6 mm)
were prepared and tested according to standard ASTM D256 (2010) using Gotech GT-
7045-MD (Taichung City, Taiwan). The notch angle was 45°, and the depth was 2.5 mm.

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In every sample, five replications were tested, and the average value was tabulated.

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)

The fracture surface morphology of the composite flexural sample was examined
using an EM-30AX scanning electron microscope (SEM; COXEM, Daejeon, Korea) with
an acceleration voltage of 20 kV. The samples were coated with a thin layer of gold prior
to structure analysis.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Density
The density of kenaf, bamboo, and kenaf/bamboo hybrid composites are shown in
Table 3. Bamboo composites had a higher density compared to kenaf composites, which
were 1.18 g/cm3 and 1.08 g/cm3, respectively. This is because the density of bamboo fiber
is higher than kenaf fiber. The density of hybrid composites increased as the bamboo
weight ratio increased. Hybrid composites with the highest bamboo weight ratio (7B3K)
showed the highest density compared to BK and 3B7K. Even though BK had a higher
bamboo ratio compared to 3B7K, it was demonstrated that BK had lower density than
3B7K. The lower density of BK compared to 3B7K might be due to the void formation in
the composites. The void formation was due to the incomplete wetting of fibers by the resin
(Abdul Khalil et al. 2007a). In another study it was shown that hybridization of low-density
material with high density material will lead to increased density of the hybrid composites
(Mohd Nurazzi et al. 2017).

Table 3. Density of Composites

Type of Composites Density (g/cm3)
Kenaf (K) 1.0750
B 30: K 70 (3B7K) 1.1475
B 50:K 50 (BK) 1.1450
B 70: K 30 (7B3K) 1.1525
Bamboo (B) 1.1825

Water Absorption
Figure 3 shows the water absorption rate of kenaf, bamboo, and kenaf/bamboo
hybrid composites over the span of a week. The rate of water absorption decreased as time
of immersion increased. Usually water absorption of composites is influenced by factors
such as fiber loading, voids, viscosity of matrix, temperature, and humidity (Jawaid et al.
2010). Kenaf-reinforced epoxy composites have higher water absorption compared to the
bamboo reinforced epoxy composites. Water absorption of kenaf and bamboo after a week
were 0.12% and 0.05%, respectively. The higher percentage of water absorption was due
to several factors such as void content, fiber hydrophilicity, and the type of matrix. Water
is absorbed into the available voids and cracks of the composite through capillary action,
and the presence of high hemicellulose content, which is hydrophilic in nature, leads to
water absorption (Kushwaha and Kumar 2010; Abdul Khalil et al. 2011). The
hemicellulose content of kenaf (17.8%) is higher than bamboo (11.1%) (Ahmad Safwan et
al. 2018), making kenaf more hydrophilic than bamboo. The use of bamboo together with
kenaf reduced the water absorption of the composite. As the bamboo weight ratio

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increased, the water absorption of the hybrid composite decreased. Of the three hybrid
composites, 7B3K showed the lowest water absorption after a week at 0.07%. Hybrid
composites, BK and 3B7K did not show much different in water absorption behaviours, as
their value was only 0.10%. This might be due the higher void formation in BK compared
with 3B7K, which promoted more water absorption. Kenaf/bamboo hybrid composites
exhibited lower water absorption as compared to kenaf composites.

Fig. 3. Water absorption for bamboo, kenaf, and kenaf bamboo hybrid composites

Thickness Swelling
The thickness swelling results for kenaf, bamboo, and kenaf/bamboo hybrid
composites are shown in Fig. 4. Thickness swelling of the composites increased as
immersion time was increased. Water was absorbed by the fibers until the cell wall was
saturated with water, and beyond this point, no more thickness swelling occurred. The
presence of polar groups, such as hydroxyl and oxygen groups, in lignocellulosic fiber
attracts water molecules through hydrogen bonding, leading to moisture build-up in the
cell wall and fiber–matrix interface (Abdul Khalil et al. 2007a). The results showed that
the thickness swelling of kenaf composites was higher than bamboo composites. The
finding was in accordance with the water absorption results. The highest thickness swelling
among hybrid composites was shown by BK, which was 5.43%, and followed by 3B7K,
with thickness swelling of 5.38%. This indicates that there was not much difference in the
thickness swelling of BK and 3B7K. Therefore, the thickness swelling of hybrid
composites decreased as bamboo loading increased. This is because bamboo fiber absorbed
less water than kenaf fiber. The decrease in thickness swelling is due to the less hydrophilic
nature of one of the materials used (Jawaid et al. 2012).

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Fig. 4. Thickness swelling for bamboo, kenaf, and kenaf bamboo hybrid composites

Flexural Properties
Flexural strength and modulus of kenaf, bamboo, and kenaf/bamboo hybrid
composites with different ratios are depicted in Fig 5. Comparison of bamboo and kenaf
composites illustrated that the flexural strength of the bamboo composites (116.4 MPa)
was higher than the kenaf composites (90.9 MPa). Studies on hybrid kenaf/coir and
bamboo/coir composites have shown that bamboo/coir hybrid composites had higher
flexural strength compared to kenaf/coir (Yusoff et al. 2016). This indicates that bamboo
has better flexural strength than kenaf. Additionally, the higher flexural strength and
modulus of bamboo composite were due to the good fiber and matrix interfacial bonding
(Abdul Khalil et al. 2007b; Da Silva et al. 2012). Hybrid composites typically had higher
flexural strength and modulus compared with kenaf composites, but lower than bamboo
composites.

Fig 5. Flexural strength and modulus of kenaf, bamboo, and kenaf bamboo hybrid composite with
different ratios

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The flexural strength of 7K3B, BK, and 3K7B demonstrated improvement of 4.8%,
9.4%, and 6.3%, respectively, compared with kenaf composites. The flexural modulus of
7K3B, BK, and 3K7B increased 1.2%, 10.5%, and 0.3% respectively.
Even though 3K7B had the highest bamboo ratio, it had lower flexural strength and
modulus compared with BK. This might be due to the failure of kenaf fiber in 3K7B,
resulting in lower flexural strength and modulus. Among these three combinations, hybrid
composites with a ratio 50:50 kenaf to bamboo had the highest flexural strength and
modulus, which were 99.4 MPa and 6.12 GPa respectively. Boopalan et al. (2013), Hanan
et al. (2018), and Zainudin et al. (2014) reported that low flexural properties of a fiber can
be improved by combining it with another fiber possessing better flexural properties.
Additionally, they found that a hybrid composite with a ratio of 50:50 exhibited the best
flexural properties.
Tables 4 and 5 show an ANOVA analysis on the flexural strength and flexural
modulus of the composites. Variance of flexural strength and modulus was divided into
two components: a between-group component (BG) and a within-group component (WG).
The F-ratio is a ratio for BG estimate to WG estimate and, for the flexural strength data,
the F-ratio was 15.5. For the flexural modulus analysis, the F-ratio was 35.4. The P-value
obtained from this analysis was less than 0.05. There was a statistically significant
difference between mean flexural strength and flexural modulus from one level of
composites to another at a 95% confidence level.

Table 4. ANOVA Test for Flexural Strength

Source SS Df MS F-ratio P-value
BG 1937.99 4 484.50 15.47 0.00
WG 626.26 20 31.31
* BG, between group; WG, within group; SS, sum of square; Df, degree of freedom; MS, mean
square; F, F-test for ANOVA; Number of observations=25; Number of samples=5.

Table 5. ANOVA Test for Flexural Modulus

Source SS Df MS F-ratio P-value
BG 1252033.22 4 313008.30 35.38 0.00
WG 176921.78 20 8846.09
* BG, between group; WG, within group; SS, sum of square; Df, degree of freedom; MS, mean
square; F, F-test for ANOVA; Number of observations=25; Number of samples=5.

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)

Figure 6 shows the SEM images of flexural fracture surfaces for bamboo, kenaf,
and hybrid composites. Fiber breakage, pull-out, air bubbles, and matrix cracking were
observed. Figure 6(a) shows the flexural fracture surface of bamboo composites, where
fiber breakage and pull-out are clear. Fiber breakage indicates that the interfacial bonding
of fibre and matrix is adequate. Additionally, flexural fractures of kenaf composite are
depicted in Fig. 6(b). There are voids in the composite that affect its flexural properties and
density. The presence of voids decreases the mechanical properties and density of the
composite as well (Jawaid et al. 2010; Saba et al. 2016). In addition, fiber breakage and
fiber pull-out are shown in Fig. 6(a).
Fibers in the horizontal direction showed fiber breakage while those in vertical
direction exhibited fiber pull-out. The results show that fiber orientation contributed to

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interfacial bonding of fiber and matrix. Interfacial bonding of fiber and matrix was strong
in the horizontal direction but poor in the vertical direction.

Fig. 6. SEM micrographs flexural fracture surface of composites (a) B; (b) K; (c) 3B7K; (d) BK; and
(e) 7B3K

Figures 6 (c) and (d) show the flexural fracture of hybrid composites. The hybrid
composites contained two layers of fiber, kenaf and bamboo. Fiber pull-out, breakage, and
air bubbles were observed in all images for hybrid composites. There was less fiber pull-
out in BK, which indicates that interfacial bonding between fiber and matrix was slightly
stronger than in the other two hybrid composites, leading to higher flexural properties in
BK composites. Moreover, air bubbles were observed in BK. Air bubbles contributed to
BK having a slightly lower density than 3B7K.

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Impact Properties
The ability of composite material to absorb and dissipate energy in the form of
creating new surfaces under shock or sudden blow is known as impact strength (Kumar
and Kumar 2012). Figure 7 shows the impact strength of kenaf, bamboo, and kenaf/bamboo
hybrid composites with different ratios. Kenaf composites had better impact strength (40.6
J/m) than bamboo composites (37.8 J/m). The geometry construction of the kenaf mat
provides it with superior impact strength compared with the bamboo composite. Impact
properties of composite material are influenced by interfacial bonding, fiber and matrix
properties, the construction and geometry of the composites, and test conditions (Wambua
et al. 2003; Biswas et al. 2011). In study conducted by Khan et al. (2016) it was found that
composites made from woven jute fabric had better impact strength compare to non-woven
jute fabric.
Ratim et al. (2012) studied the effect of woven and non-woven fiber on mechanical
properties of polyester composite reinforced with kenaf. The findings showed that
composite reinforced with woven kenaf had higher impact strength compared to composite
reinforced non-woven kenaf. The use of kenaf fiber together with bamboo fiber improved
the impact strength compared to bamboo composites alone. The 3B7K and 7B3K
composites showed slight improvements in impact strength of approximately 4.32% and
3.49%, respectively. Hybrid composites with ratio 50:50 showed a positive synergistic
effect, which gave the highest impact strength compared to other composites. Boopalan et
al. 2013 studied jute/banana reinforced epoxy hybrid composites. Different ratios of jute
and banana were used (jute:banana; 0:100, 25:75. 50:50, 75:25, and 100:0). Based on the
experiment it was found that jute/banana reinforced epoxy hybrid composites with ratio
50:50 had the highest impact strength and went beyond the impact strength of pure jute and
banana composites. Another study conducted by Zainudin et al. (2014) investigated the
effect hybridization of empty fruit bunch (EFB) with coir. It was found that optimum
impact strength was with a 50:50 ratio of the two fiber types.

Fig. 7. Impact strength of kenaf, bamboo, and kenaf bamboo hybrid composites

Table 6 shows an ANOVA analysis on the impact strength of the composites.

Variance of impact strength was divided into two components: a between-group
component (BG) and a within-group component (WG). The F-ratio is a ratio for BG

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estimate to WG estimate, and in this case the F-ratio was 8.35. The P-value obtained from
this analysis was less than 0.05. The results indicate that there was a statistically significant
difference between the mean impact strength from one level of composites to another at a
95% confidence level.

Table 6. ANOVA Test for Impact Strength

Source SS Df MS F-ratio P-value
BG 146.59 4 36.65 8.35 0.00
WG 87.74 20 4.39
* BG, between group; WG, within group; SS, sum of square; Df, degree of freedom; MS, mean
square; F, F-test for ANOVA; Number of observations=25; Number of samples=5.

CONCLUSIONS

1. The hybrid composites density increased as the bamboo weight ratio increased, since
bamboo has a higher density compared to kenaf. The 7B3K hybrid composites had the
highest density compared to the two other ratios of hybrid composites.
2. Water absorption for hybrid composites decreased as the bamboo weight ratio
increased. Accordingly, 3B7K and BK had the highest water absorption.
3. The use of bamboo together with kenaf reduced the thickness swelling of hybrid
composites compared to kenaf composites.
4. Hybrid kenaf/bamboo with a 50:50 ratio showed the highest flexural strength and
modulus compared to other hybrid composites.
5. Morphological analysis by SEM showed that there was fiber pull-out, fiber breakage,
matric cracking, and air bubbles in the composites. Based on the analysis, hybrid
composites with a 50:50 ratio had better interfacial adhesion compared to the other two
ratios.
6. The impact strength of hybrid kenaf/bamboo seemed to improve beyond the impact
strength of pure kenaf and bamboo composite, which was 44.8 J/m.
7. Based on the analysis, hybrid kenaf/bamboo composites with a ratio of 50:50 showed
the best overall performance.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are thankful to the Universiti Putra Malaysia for supporting this research
through Putra Grant No: 9490601. We are also thankful to Ministry of Higher Education
for Providing HICOE project [Grant no: 6369108] to INTROP, UPM for doing this work.

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Article submitted: October 9, 2018; Peer review completed: November 18, 2018; Revised
version received: December 25, 2018; Accepted: December 28, 2018; Published: January
7, 2019.
DOI: 10.15376/biores.14.1.1390-1404

Safwan et al. (2019). ““Kenaf/bamboo epoxy,” BioResources 14(1), 1390-1404. 1404