Pengaruh Penambahan TiO₂ terhadap Sifat Mekanik dan Mikrostruktur Sandwich Composite Serat Tebu Berlapis Aluminium 1100

Abstract

The development of environmentally friendly composite materials has encouraged the utilization of natural fibers as alternative lightweight structural materials for automotive applications. This study investigated the effect of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticle addition on the mechanical and microstructural properties of sugarcane bagasse fiber sandwich composites reinforced with Aluminum 1100 face sheets for automotive body panel applications. The composites were fabricated using the hand lay-up method with TiO₂ contents of 0%, 3%, and 5% by weight of epoxy resin. Mechanical characterization was conducted through tensile testing according to ASTM D638 and flexural testing according to ASTM D790, while microstructural observations were performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the composite without TiO₂ addition exhibited the highest tensile strength of 80.55 MPa with a strain of 8.33%. In contrast, the highest flexural strength was obtained at 5% TiO₂, reaching 83.88 MPa, indicating an improvement in stiffness under bending loads. SEM observations revealed failure mechanisms dominated by fiber pull-out, matrix cracking, and interfacial debonding. Furthermore, agglomeration of TiO₂ particles was observed in the 3% and 5% specimens, which reduced stress distribution uniformity and contributed to the decrease in tensile performance. Overall, the results demonstrate that sugarcane bagasse fiber–Aluminum 1100 sandwich composites have strong potential as lightweight and environmentally friendly materials for automotive body panels. The addition of 5% TiO₂ improved flexural performance; however, further optimization of nanoparticle dispersion is required to enhance overall mechanical properties.