The Mechanical and Dimensional Properties of Rice Husk-Unsaturated Polyester Composites

: Rice husk (RH)-unsaturated polyester (USP) composites have been produced. The tensile, flexural, impact, and dimensional properties of the composites have been investigated. From the results, it was observed that the tensile, flexural, and impact properties decreased as the percentage of filler was increased. The composites with smaller filler size displayed higher tensile, flexural, and impact properties than those with larger filler size. This might be attributed to the higher surface area of the RH, which resulted in more interaction between the OH groups of RH and the C˭O groups of the polyester matrix. The water absorption and thickness swelling of the composites showed an increasing trend as the immersion time was increased. However, samples with smaller filler size showed lower water absorption and thickness swelling than those with larger filler size.