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Abstract
Coconut fiber is an alternative material to replace metal. Coconut fiber was chosen because it is easy and widely found in Indonesia and is easily decomposed naturally. Even though its strength is much lower than metal, coconut fiber can be used to make objects that do not require a lot of strength, one of which is drones. In this research, coconut fiber composites were made and tensile tested to determine their strength for use as a frame for small surveillance drones. The composite is made by mixing coconut fiber mat (as fiber) and Unsaturated Polyester (as resin) using the hand lay-up method. Coconut fiber composites are tested according to ASTM D-638 standards. Based on the tensile test results in this research, it was found that the coconut fiber composite had a tensile strength of 18 MPa. Then this number is used as a benchmark in determining the size of the surveillance drone frame to be designed. Based on the results of the calculations carried out, it was found that the thickness required for a drone frame made from coconut fiber is 4 mm