The effect of OPWF filler on impact strength of glass-fiber reinforced epoxy composite

In the present study, oil palm wood flour (OPWF) particles with less than 250 μm sizes have been used as filler materials in the woven-glass-fiber reinforced epoxy composite. The hybrid composites were fabricated using a hand lay-up method and cured at room temperature under a compressive load of 196 N (20 kg). The OPWF of 2.5 to 10 parts per hundred (pph) by weight was used to evaluate its effect on impact strength of the hybrid composites at a range of temperature from −50 to 50 °C. The impact strength, evaluated using V-notch Charpy method, showed reduction with increasing filler content up to 5 pph and then the strength increment in those composites containing more than 5 pph OPWF. More severe damages were found in specimens with higher filler contents resulting higher energy absorption during impact. The composites with a large amount of OPWF particles deflected crack propagation paths or created obstacles at the crack tips and increased toughness of the composites. The impact strength was found to decrease when the samples fractured at subzero temperatures and this happened because of the reduction of the matrix ductility at lower temperatures.