Govinden, Sumilan2018-03-012018-03-012017Govinden, Sumilan (2017) The effect of montmorillonite clay on the mechanical properties of kenaf reinforced polypropylene composite, University of the Witwatersrand, <https://hdl.handle.net/10539/24131>https://hdl.handle.net/10539/24131A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the built environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering Johannesburg, October 2017An investigation was carried out to determine the effect of the addition of clay on the mechanical properties of a Natural Fibre Composite consisting of a polypropylene matrix with kenaf fibre reinforcement. The kenaf fibres were treated using various chemical treatments to improve the strength of the composites manufactured. Four treatments using different 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxy silane (MPS) concentrations were investigated to determine which treatment resulted in the best mechanical properties. [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version]Online resource (xxi, 199 leaves)enFibrous compositesComposite materialsKenafPolypropylene fibersMontmorilloniteClayFiber-reinforced plasticsThesis