Influence of Soaking Time on Tensile Strength of Coconut Fiber
Muhammad Arsyad(a*), Rudy Soenoko (b), Arman(a), Nur Wahyuni(a)
a) Mechanical Engineering Department, Politeknik Negeri Ujung Pandang, Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan KM.10 Tamalanrea, Makassar 90245, Indonesia
b) Mechanical Engineering Department, Univeristas Brawijaya, Jalan M.T. Haryono No.167 Malang 65145, Indonesia
* arsyadhabe[at]poliupg.ac.id
Abstract
The objectives of research is to determine the effect of long soaking of coconut fiber in alkaline solution to the tensile strength of coconut fiber. The testing stages include preparation, soaking, drying, testing, and analysis. The materials used consist of coconut fiber, alkali solution, aquades, tensile test equipment, and furnace. Coconut fiber is soaked in an alkali solution with a concentration of 20% for 1, 5, 7, 9, and 11 hours. Then, the coconut fiber was rinsed with aquades before being dried in a furnace at 90oC for 5 hours. Furthermore, tests of mechanical properties include a single fiber tensile of coconut fiber with ASTM. Based on the results and discussion, it can be concluded that (a) the alkali treatment decreases the amount of hemicellulose and cellulose in coconut fiber, (b) the maximum tensile strength obtained at 7 hour treatment is 223.907 N/mm2.
Keywords: soaking; alkali; tensile; coir
Topic: Material Science