| Abstract: | Agro‐wastes, oil palm trunk core or sap was utilized for the production of new palm‐wood material using phenol formaldehyde resin as a matrix. The kiln‐dried (moisture content 10%) oil palm trunk was impregnated with phenol formaldehyde resin using a high power vacuum pump. The oil palm trunk core lumber (OPTCL) was loaded with different percentages of phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin. The mechanical properties (tensile, flexural, and impact) and physical properties (water absorption and density) were studied and compared with rubberwood. Testing of mechanical and physical properties was done according to the ASTM standard. The morphology of the resin loaded OPTCL was analyzed by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). In general, the result showed that impregnated OPTCL exhibited good mechanical and physical properties when compared with untreated oil palm trunk core (OPTCL with 0% resin content) and rubberwood. Tensile and flexural strength of OPTCL increased with the increase in the resin content up to 15% and showed a decreasing trend with the increase in the loading percentage beyond 15%.The impact strength also increased with the increase in the resin content from 5% to 15%. However, impregnated OPTCL with 15% resin loading showed lower water absorption uptake as compared with the other composite materials and rubberwood. SEM micrograph confirmed that the resin was impregnated efficiently within the pores of OPTCL fibers. POLYM. COMPOS., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers |
