The mechanical, thermal and sound absorption properties of flexible polyurethane foam composites reinforced with artichoke stem waste fibers

Abstract

<jats:p> Recently, due to environmental concerns and dependence on depleted resources, the use of renewable resources has become important in the preparation of various industrial materials. The use of natural fibers instead of petroleum-based synthetic fibers traditionally used in the production of composite materials provides many advantages in terms of both environmental and cost. The utilization of agricultural wastes as natural fibers also contributes significantly to the reduction and reuse of wastes, which is one of the objectives of sustainable development. In this study, artichoke stem waste fibers reinforced polyurethane foam composites were obtained. The fibers were treated with alkaline surface treatment at different concentrations (5% and 10%) of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and durations (5, 10 and 15 min). The optimal alkali method was determined and applied to the fibers and its effect on composites was also investigated. Treated and untreated fibers were combined with polyurethane (PU) matrix at different reinforcement ratios (5, 10, 15 and 20%) to produce bio-fiber based composites. Depending on these reinforcement rates and alkali treatment, the mechanical properties of composites such as strength, elongation and modulus were investigated. The composites, which have the best mechanical properties, were selected and these composites were evaluated in terms of thermal and sound insulation with considering their morphological properties. It has been determined that artichoke stem waste fibers can provide good mechanical, thermal and sound insulation properties in the composites, and thus it has been found that great advantages can be achieved in terms of cost and ecology. </jats:p>

Acoustic characterization of natural areca catechu fiber‐reinforced flexible polyurethane foam composites

“…They observed that 5% by fiber weight of treated fiber‐reinforced composite sample exhibits the best SAC in the 400–3200 Hz range. Olcay and Kocak 26 investigated the effect of treated artichoke stem waste fiber reinforcement on the SAC of PUF composites and observed an SAC of 0.98 at 2.4 kHz frequency for 5 wt% fiber reinforcement. Cherradi et al 27 presented the acoustic properties of composite specimens made from chemically processed alfa and sawdust wood fibers bonded with a polyvinyl binder.…”

Enhancement of the mechanical and acoustical properties of flexible polyurethane foam/waste seashell composites for industrial applications

“…Zhu et al 23 studied ethylene propylene diene particles’ influences in the PU foams on sound absorption. Olcay and Kocak 24 prepared artichoke stem waste fibers reinforced PU bio-fiber composites. Baek and Kim 25 fabricated PU silicone-acrylic composites and examined the sound absorption behavior.…”

Synthesize and characterization of sustainable natural fibers/ conductive polymer composites

“…Artichoke fiber (AF) shows a lignin content (4.3%) similar to other fibers such as hemp and flax, whereas good mechanical properties with the help of its high cellulose content (75.3%), thus confirming its feasibility as reinforcement of polymer-based composites. 12–15…”

“…Artichoke fiber (AF) shows a lignin content (4.3%) similar to other fibers such as hemp and flax, whereas good mechanical properties with the help of its high cellulose content (75.3%), thus confirming its feasibility as reinforcement of polymer-based composites. [12][13][14][15] In the past, NFs were used in constructing applications. Nowadays, NF have become valuable alternative elements to reinforce materials in the composite industry and have taken great interest in recent years because they allow the possibility of obtaining a new hybrid material for different applications.…”