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Flexural Properties and Hardness of Unidirectional Tiger Grass Fiber and Coconut Leaf Midrib Reinforced Epoxy Resin Composites

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Abstract:

Natural materials used in broom-making like tiger grass fibers and midribs of coconut leaves have potential use in composites as alternative reinforcements due to their biodegradability and availability at lower prices while offering some possible enhancements on mechanical properties. In this paper, tiger grass fibers and coconut leaf midribs from locally made brooms were reinforced in epoxy resin in a unidirectional orientation. No chemical treatment was applied to the reinforcing materials. A hybrid fiber reinforced composite was also prepared using a manual casting process. The mechanical characterization performed are flexural and durometer hardness tests. Results revealed that all sample types of composites obtained lower mean flexural strength and hardness than the unreinforced sample. This could be linked to the absence of surface treatment that possibly led to a weaker adhesion between the fibers and the epoxy matrix. Moreover, all composites obtained almost similar flexural strength of about 74 MPa which might be primarily influenced by the epoxy strength since the load applied is in perpendicular direction with the unidirectional reinforcements. Nevertheless, an improvement of about 22 % was obtained in terms of the flexural modulus of the composite with coconut leaf midrib.

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Periodical:

Materials Science Forum (Volume 1198)

Pages:

23-28

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4028/p-3eOX39

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Online since:

August 2026

Authors:

Jerome D. Lopena*, Ivan Jerome C. Panis

Keywords:

Coconut Leaf Midrib, Composite Manufacturing, Epoxy, Natural Fiber, Tiger Grass

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© 2026 Trans Tech Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved

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