ABSTRACT:Rubber wood fiber/reinforced thermoplastic natural rubber (RWF/TPNR) composites were prepared. A blend of natural rubber with high-density polyethylene was prepared by melt blending the materials in the internal mixer of Brabender Plasticorder machine. RWF and TPNR were mixed with different fractions of fiber (0, 5, 10, 20, and 30%) in the internal mixer. To investigate the influence of coupling agent on the mechanical properties, concentrations of maleic anhydride polyethylene (MAPE) were employed in the composites. The mechanical properties and morphology of composite material were characterized with tensile machine and scanning electron microscope, respectively. The results showed that the addition of MAPE has a positive effect on the tensile strength and Young's modulus while the maximum strain was reduced. SEM micrographs showed good adhesion between RWF and TPNR when the coupling agent was applied. C

Composites have been prepared by melt blending thermoplastic natural rubber (TPNR) with wood bre in a Plasticorder mixer at various mixing temperatures, rates of rotation, and mixing times. The TPNR was a blend of polypropylene, natural rubber, and liquid natural rubber at a PP/NR/LNR ratio of 60 : 30 : 10, which was compounded using an internal mixer. Composites containing wood bre fractions of 0, 10, 20, and 30 wt-% , and graft-copoly-(propylene/maleic anhydride) (MAPP ) at concentrations from 0 to 10% were subjected to tensile tests. The compatibiliser increased the tensile strength and Young's modulus, but reduced the strain. Scanning electron microscopy of the fracture surfaces revealed that strong interfaces were formed on addition of MAPP.

Kenaf -thermoplastic natural rubber (Kenaf-TPNR) composites were developed and evaluated in this study. The kenaf was blended with TPNR and maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAPP) as a compatibilizer in an internal mixer (Brabender). The mechanical properties of the composites were investigated by tensile, impact, flexural, and morphologic properties by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The incorporation of the kenaf fiber into the TPNR matrix resulted in an improvement in the tensile strength and Young's modulus. However, the maximum strain and impact strength decreased with increased filler loading. The better performance was attributed to the addition of MAPP due to improvements in the wetting of the filler surface. The addition of MAPP produced composites with improved tensile strength, Young's modulus, and flexural stiffness. SEM was employed to investigate the fiber surface, fiber pullout, and fiber -matrix interaction of composites.

Rubberwood fiber-thermoplastic natural rubber (RWF -TPNR) composites were prepared and evaluated in this study. The RWFs were supplied in the form of thermomechanical pulp (TMP) from the Hume Fiberbord Company in Malaysia. The fibers were screened to 0.5 -1 mm sizes and blended with TPNR and maleic anhydride -grafted polypropylene (MAPP) as a compatibilizer in the internal mixer of Brabender Plasticorder machine. The mechanical, thermal properties and morphology of the composites were investigated by tensile, impact, flexural, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the tensile strength and Young's modulus increased, while tensile strain and impact strength decreased with increasing of fiber loading. Thermogravimetric analysis showed an increasing degradation temperature of the samples with RWF. On the other hand, SEM micrographs