Abstract :
Sandwich composite is a type of composite that has enough strength when
it is used as a primary or secondary structure. Composites also have the
advantage on their mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, small density and
simple manufacturing process. This research aims to investigate the effects of
adhesive variations on composite sandwich with arenga pinnata fiber as skin and
paraserianthes falcataria sawdust as core on the bending strength of the material.
The materials on this research are arenga pinnata fiber, unsaturated
polyester resin 157 BQTN-EX, versamid 140, chloroprene, sawdust from
paraserianthes falcataria sawdust and urea formaldehyde. This specimen was
made by using press casting method with 2 mm of skin thickness and 10 mm of
core thickness. The bending strength test refers to the ASTM C 393. The method
used in the process of making this composite is hand lay-up method.
The results showed that adhesive variation affected the bending strength of
sandwich composites where the highest value was achieved using adhesive
versamid 140, with bending strength value of 25.86 MPa. Observation on the
fracture surface of the bending test specimens showed that the composite
sandwich with adhesive versamid 140 had a better inter-surface bond than the
BQTN-EX yukalac and chloroprene