Affiliations 

  • 1 Universiti Putra Malaysia
MyJurnal

Abstract

Composite structures and materials are used in aerospace, marine and automotive applications due
to their light weight characteristics. By using rice husk ash (RHA) as natural binder to replace epoxy
resin, it improves the characteristic of the composite laminated structure. Rice husk has become an
important ingredient in silica, silicon carbide, and silicon nitride because of its high a silicon content.
This paper evaluates the performance of laminated composite plate in a drop-weight impact testing. Two
plates are attached to the test rig in the particular desired impact orientation. The main advantages of
this process are the plates provide more realistic drop-weight impact and data. Data from the impact test
was collected and analysed to evaluate the material properties of epoxy resin and RHA. Results show
RHA’s energy absorption is better and it has more deformation to prevent structure failures compared
with epoxy resin. This paper aims to evaluate the application of RHA as a geopolymer binder and flax
fibre as an alternative material to glass fibre in the composites industry.