Improvement of impact strength of hemp fiber aluminium reinforced laminate by addition of portunus filler compared with hemp aluminium composite.

This work focuses on enhancing the impact strength of a novel hemp fiber aluminium reinforced composite laminate by adding varying percentages of Portunus filler, and comparing it to the hemp aluminium composite without any filler. All laminates were fabricated by varying weight of Portunus filler from 0 to 10% in incremental steps of 5%, and named as HAL, PHAL-5 and PHAL-10 respectively. The experimental group was made up of PHAL-5 and PHAL-10 while the control group was HAL. For each group, 20 samples were taken for testing using an Izod impact testing machine with the impact strength calculated using a predetermined formula. The mean impact strength values obtained for PHAL-5 and PHAL-10 were 26.061215 kJ/m² and 18.700895 kJ/m², respectively, with HAL recording 13.233595 kJ/m². The research indicates that adding Portunus filler to the hemp fiber aluminium reinforced laminate can improve its overall impact strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]