Microstructure of Thermoplastic Composites Reinforced with Wool and Wood

Abstract

In the last decades the studies on thermoplastic composites reinforced with natural fibres have been mostly focused on vegetable lignocellulosic or cellulosic fibres. These materials provide eco-sustainable solutions for a large range of applications and have been actually adopted by multiple industries. The interest on fibres of animal origin is more recent and research on composites reinforced with these fibres predominantly composed of keratin, such as wool, feathers or silk, is increasing in virtue of some advantageous properties that may overcome some of the intrinsic limitations from vegetable fibres. The combined use of vegetable and animal fibres in composites appropriate for melt blending processing is at early stages of research. After chemical treatments, the fibres of animal origin have been mostly applied as binders between vegetable fibres and polymers, not as main constituents of these composites. The use of both types of fibres simultaneously in composites of thermoplastic matrices is the subject of the present study wherein the fibres of animal origin (wool) are different kinds of residues from a textile industry and the fibres of vegetable origin (wood) are residues from carpentry activities. The chemical composition, the macro and microstructure of the fibres is analyzed, as well as that of composites that combine non-biodegradable and biodegradable polymers with diverse ratios of fibres in different conditions (wool as cards, yarns and felt cloths; wood as sawdust). The addition of coupling agents to enhance the compatibility between wool, wood and different polymers is also analysed.

Experimental Study and an RSM Modelling on Drilling Characteristics of the Sheep Horn Particle Reinforced Epoxy Composites for Structural Applications

“…Natural fibres are superior to synthetic fibres in a number of ways, including great flexibility, environmental friendliness, low specific gravity, high impact resistance, reduced abrasiveness on equipment, and inexpensive cost [4][5][6]. Animal-based fibre composite materials have only recently been used because of their ability to be combined with polymers with higher melting temperatures due to their thermal behaviour [7,8]. By altering the amounts of horn fibre, Kumar et al [9] studied the mechanical and thermal characteristics of horn fibrereinforced polypropylene composites (5, 10, 15, and 20 wt.…”