Assessing Mechanical Properties of Jute, Kenaf, and Pineapple Leaf Fiber-Reinforced Polypropylene Composites: Experiment and Modelling

Abstract

The application of natural fibers is increasing rapidly in the polymer-based composites. This study investigates manufacturing and characterization of polypropylene (PP) based composites reinforced with three different natural fibers: jute, kenaf, and pineapple leaf fiber (PALF). In each case, the fiber weight percentages were varied by 30 wt.%, 35 wt.%, and 40 wt.%. Mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural, and impact strengths were determined by following the relevant standards. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to identify the chemical interactions between the fiber and the PP matrix material. Tensile strength and Izod impact strength of the composites significantly increased for all the composites with different fiber contents when compared to the pure PP matrix. The tensile moduli of the composites were compared to the values obtained from two theoretical models based on the modified “rule of mixtures” method. Results from the modelling agreed well with the experimental results. Tensile strength (ranging from 43 to 58 MPa), flexural strength (ranging from 53 to 67 MPa), and impact strength (ranging from 25 to 46 kJ/m2) of the composites significantly increased for all the composites with different fiber contents when compared to the pure PP matrix having tensile strength of 36 MPa, flexural strength of 53 Mpa, and impact strength of 22 kJ/m2. Furthermore, an improvement in flexural strength but not highly significant was found for majority of the composites. Overall, PALF-PP displayed better mechanical properties among the composites due to the high tensile strength of PALF. In most of the cases, T98 (degradation temperature at 98% weight loss) of the composite samples was higher (532–544 °C) than that of 100% PP (500 °C) matrix. Fractured surfaces of the composites were observed in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and analyses were made in terms of fiber matrix interaction. This comparison will help the researcher to select any of the natural fiber for fiber-based reinforced composites according to the requirement of the final product.

A comprehensive study on the effect of hybridization and stacking sequence in fabricating cotton-blended jute and pineapple leaf fibre biocomposites

“…Although all of the composites exhibited flexural strength values that were either higher or comparable to those of PFRP, the increase in flexural strength was not as significant as the increase in tensile strength. The relatively poor flexural strength observed in the hybrid composites could be attributed to the relatively weaker fibre strength and/or insufficient interfacial adhesion [ 81 ].…”

Development and characterization of microwave‐processed linear low‐density polyethylene based sisal/jute hybrid laminates

“…Natural fiber‐reinforced polymer composites (NFRPCs) offer several advantages such as being biodegradable, lightweight, recyclable, and having a low production cost compared to conventional synthetic fiber‐based polymer composites. As a result, there has been a shift towards using plant‐based fibers like sisal, 1,2 jute, 3,4 banana, 1,5 hemp, 6 kenaf, 7 flax, 8 bamboo, 9,10 coir, 11 and others to replace synthetic fibers in composite materials. NFRPCs possess desirable characteristics that have enabled them to be utilized in various industries such as aeronautics, sports, construction, automobiles, and so forth 12,13 .…”

Influence of Different Hot Runner-Systems in the Injection Molding Process on the Structural and Mechanical Properties of Regenerated Cellulose Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene

“…Natural fiber composites (NFC) with polypropylene (PP) as matrix material and short natural fibers for reinforcement are increasingly used in series production, e.g., in the field of automotive parts and other engineering applications [1][2][3]. The reason for this is the increasing demand for renewable raw materials and the possibility to combine good mechanical properties with the lightweight potential of low-density fibers [4,5]. A large number of studies regarding the processing and characterization of NFC used compression molding for specimen production [6][7][8][9], while injection molding tends to be more important for industrial applications, especially for the production of serial parts.…”