Significance of Pretreatment on Mechanical and Dielectric Properties of Kapok Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite

Abstract

The present work deals with the dielectric and mechanical investigation of raw and dewaxed kapok fiber-reinforced polymer composites. Polymer composites were fabricated by hand lay-up technique at optimal fiber loading (i.e., 5%). The interfacial adhesion at the fiber-matrix interface and surface roughness of the fiber increases after pretreatment and hence mechanical strength of the composite increases. In order to understand the impact of pretreatment on kapok fiber and its composites, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Mechanical behavior and dielectric responses are investigated. The dielectric properties of the composites were investigated in the frequency range from 100HZ to 1MHZ at room temperature.