Tensile properties of oil palm empty fruit bunch-polyurethane composites

Empty Fruit bunch-polyurethane (EFB-PU) composites were produced by reacting EFB and polyethylene glycol (PEG) with diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI). From the results of tensile properties and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study, it was found that tensile properties were influenced by the percentage of OH groups of EFB, coupled with the reinforcing effect of EFB filler. In addition to that, the formation of PU matrix from PEG and isocyanate proved to be crucial in producing good stress transfer from the matrix to the filler. SEM study showed that surface area of the filler also contributed towards the strength of the composites. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.