TITLE:
Statistical Analysis of the Tensile Strength of Treated Oil Palm Fiber by Utilisation of Weibull Distribution Model
AUTHORS:
Chin Voon Sia, Yoshikazu Nakai, Daiki Shiozawa, Hiroto Ohtani
KEYWORDS:
Fibers; Strength; Mechanical Testing; Surface Treatment; Gauge Length; Weibull Distribution
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Composite Materials,
Vol.4 No.1,
January
23,
2014
ABSTRACT: 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.