摘要
Oil palm fiber (OPF) extracted from empty fruit bunches is proven as a good raw material for bio-composites. The statistical variability in single fiber strength was observed due to the randomly distributed flaws along the fiber. In this study, the effect of gauge length on tensile strength of OPFs has been investigated. The Weibull/ weakest link distribution model was applied to analyse the statistical strength of OPFs. The modified Weibull distribution can predict the gauge length effect more accurately than the conventional Weibull distribution. In addition, the failure strength of the OPF was less sensitive to gauge length compared to coir fiber even though the OPF has a similarity in structures to coir fiber.
Oil palm fiber (OPF) extracted from empty fruit bunches is proven as a good raw material for bio-composites. The statistical variability in single fiber strength was observed due to the randomly distributed flaws along the fiber. In this study, the effect of gauge length on tensile strength of OPFs has been investigated. The Weibull/ weakest link distribution model was applied to analyse the statistical strength of OPFs. The modified Weibull distribution can predict the gauge length effect more accurately than the conventional Weibull distribution. In addition, the failure strength of the OPF was less sensitive to gauge length compared to coir fiber even though the OPF has a similarity in structures to coir fiber.
