Influence of organically modified nanoclay on the performance of pineapple leaf fiber‐reinforced polypropylene nanocomposites

Polypropylene/Pine apple leaf fiber (PP/PALF)‐reinforced nanocomposites were fabricated using melt blending technique in a twin‐screw extruder (Haake Rheocord 9000). Variation in mechanical properties, crystallization behavior, water absorption, and thermal stability with the addition of nanoclay in PP/PALF composites were investigated. It was observed that the tensile, flexural, and impact properties of PP increase with the increase in fiber loading from 10 to 30 wt %. Composites prepared using 30 wt % PALF and 5 wt % MA‐g‐PP exhibited optimum mechanical performance with an increase in tensile strength to 31%, flexural strength to 45% when compared with virgin PP. Addition of nanoclay results in a further increase in tensile and flexural strength of PP/PALF composites to 20 and 24.3%, which shows intercalated morphology. However, addition of nanoclay does not show any substantial increase in impact strength when compared with PP/PALF composites. Dynamic mechanical analysis tests revealed an increase in storage modulus (E′) and damping factor (tan δ), confirming a strong influence between the fiber/nanoclay and MA‐g‐PP. Differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis thermograms also showed improved thermal properties when compared with the virgin matrix. TEM micrographs also showed few layers of agglomerated clay galleries along with mixed nanomorphology in the nanocomposites. Wide angle X‐ray diffraction studies indicated an increase in d‐spacing from 22.4 Å in Cloisite 20A to 40.1 Å in PP/PALF nanocomposite because of improved intercalated morphology. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Mechanical,thermal, and morphological properties of maleic anhydride‐g‐polypropylene compatibilized and chemically modified banana‐fiber‐reinforced polypropylene composites

Composites were prepared with chemically modified banana fibers in polypropylene (PP). The effects of 40‐mm fiber loading and resin modification on the physical, mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of the composites were evaluated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and so on. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MA‐g‐PP) compatibilizer was used to improve the fiber‐matrix adhesion. SEM studies carried out on fractured specimens indicated poor dispersion in the unmodified fiber composites and improved adhesion and uniform dispersion in the treated composites. A fiber loading of 15 vol % in the treated composites was optimum, with maximum mechanical properties and thermal stability evident. The composite with 5% MA‐g‐PP concentration at a 15% fiber volume showed an 80% increase in impact strength, a 48% increase in flexural strength, a 125% increase in flexural modulus, a 33% increase in tensile strength, and an 82% increase in tensile modulus, whereas the heat deflection temperature increased by 18°C. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Pineapple leaf fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites: Effects of fiber length and fiber content on their characteristics

Pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) was used as a reinforcement in polyolefins. Polypropylene (PP) and low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) composites with different fiber lengths (long and short fibers) and fiber contents (0–25%) were prepared and characterized. The results showed that the tensile strength of the composites increased when the PALF contents were increased. It was observed that the composites containing long fiber PALF were stronger than the short fiber composites as determined by greater tensile strength. An SEM study on the tensile fractured surface confirmed the homogeneous dispersion of the long fibers in the polymer matrixes better than dispersion of the short fibers. The unidirectional arrangement of the long fibers provided good interfacial bonding between the PALF and polymer which was a crucial factor in achieving high strength composites. Reduction in crystallinity of the composites, as evident from XRD and DSC studies suggested that the reinforcing effect of PALF played an important role in enhancing their mechanical strength. From the rule of mixtures, the stress efficiency factors of the composite strength could be calculated. The stress efficiency factors of LDPE were greater than those of PP. This would possibly explain why the high modulus fiber (PALF) had better load transfers to the ductile matrix of LDPE than the brittle matrix of PP. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Effect of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene on the mechanical and morphological properties of chemically modified short‐pineapple‐leaf‐fiber‐reinforced polypropylene composites

With the rising cost of petroleum‐based fibers, the utilization of plant fibers in the manufacture of polymer–matrix composites is gaining importance worldwide. The scope of this study was to examine the perspective of the use of pineapple leaf fibers (PALFs) as reinforcements for polypropylene (PP). These fibers are environmentally friendly, low‐cost byproducts of pineapple cultivation and are readily available in the northeastern region of India. Here, both untreated and treated pineapple fibers were used. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MA‐g‐PP) was used as a compatibilizing agent. The polymer matrix of PP was used to prepare composite specimens with different volume fractions (5–20%) of fibers by the addition of 5% of MA‐g‐PP. These specimens were tested for their mechanical properties, and additional assessments were made via observations by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and IR spectroscopy. Increase in the impact behavior, flexural properties, and tensile moduli of the composites were noticed, and these were more appreciable in the treated fibers mixed with MA‐g‐PP. PALF in 10 vol % in PP mixed with MA‐g‐PP was the optimum and recommended composition, where the flexural properties were the maximum. The impact strength and the tensile modulus were also considerably high. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Mechanical properties and water absorption of fiber‐reinforced polypropylene composites prepared by bagasse and beech fiber

The present study investigates the tensile, flexural, notched Izod impact, and water absorption properties of bagasse and beech reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites as a function of fiber content. The surface of fibers was modified through the use of maleated polypropylene (MAPP) coupling agent. From this study, it was found that mechanical properties increase with an increase in fiber loading in both cases. However, the addition of wood fibers resulted in a decrease in impact strength of the composites. The water absorption property at varying fiber loading was evaluated and found maximum for the BA/PP composites. The weight gains for all specimens were less than 7%. In general, the results showed the usefulness of bagasse fiber as a good alternative and reinforcing agent for composite. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Bamboo fiber reinforced polypropylene composites and their mechanical,thermal, and morphological properties

Short bamboo fiber reinforced polypropylene composites were prepared by incorporation of various loadings of chemically modified bamboo fibers. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MA‐g‐PP) was used as compatibilizer to improve fiber–matrix adhesion. The effects of bamboo fiber loading and modification of the resin on the physical, mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of the bamboo reinforced modified PP composites were studied. Scanning electron microscopy studies of the composites were carried out on the interface and fractured surfaces. Thermogravimetric analysis and IR spectroscopy were also carried out. At 50% volume fraction of the extracted bamboo fiber in the composites, considerable increase in mechanical properties like impact, flexural, tensile, and thermal behavior like heat deflection temperature were observed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Kenaf‐bast‐fiber‐filled biodegradable poly(butylene succinate) composites: Effects of fiber loading,fiber length,and maleated poly(butylene succinate) on the flexural and impact properties

Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) filled kenaf bast fiber (KBF) composites were fabricated via compression molding. The effects of KBF loading on the flexural and impact properties of the composites were investigated for fiber loadings of 10–40 wt %. The optimum flexural strength of the composites was achieved at 30 wt % fiber loading. However, the flexural modulus of the composites kept increasing with increasing fiber loading. Increasing the fiber loading led to a drop in the impact strength of about 57.5–73.6%; this was due to the stiff nature of the KBF. The effect of the fiber length (5, 10, 15, and 20 mm) on the flexural and impact properties was investigated for the 30 wt % KBF loaded composites. The composites with 10‐mm KBF showed the highest flexural and impact properties in comparison to the others. The inferior flexural and impact strength of the composites with 15‐ and 20‐mm KBF could be attributed to the relatively longer fibers that underwent fiber attrition during compounding, which consequently led to the deterioration of the fiber. This was proven by analyses of the fiber length, diameter, and aspect ratio. The addition of maleated PBS as a compatibilizer resulted in the enhancement of the composite's flexural and impact properties due to the formation of better fiber–matrix interfacial adhesion. This was proven by scanning electron microscopy observations of the composites' fracture surfaces. The removal of unreacted maleic anhydride and dicumyl peroxide residuals from the compatibilizers led to better fiber–matrix interfacial adhesion and a slightly enhanced composite strength. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Isolation and characterization of betel nut leaf fiber: Its potential application in making composites

Betel nut leaf fiber (BNLF) is a new finding as cellulosic filler for polymer composites. Its main constituents are 75% α‐cellulose, 12% hemicelluloses, 10% lignin, and 3% others matter, viscosity average molecular weight 132,000 and degree of crystallinity 70%. In the present work, BNLF reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared using heat press molding method. 5–20 wt% short length fiber is taken for getting benefits of easy manufacturing and the fiber was chemically treated with NaOH, dicumyl peroxide (DCP), and maleic anhydride‐modified PP (MAPP) to promote the interfacial bond with PP. The extent of modification of fiber was assessed on the basis of morphology, bulk density, moisture absorption, thermal, and mechanical properties of untreated fiber, treated fiber, and their reinforcing PP composites. The tensile and flexural strength of composites increase with the increase of fiber loading up to 10 and 20 wt%, respectively. It was also observed that Young's modulus and flexural modulus increase with fiber loading. The thermal degradation behavior of resulting composites was investigated. Among the various treated fibers, MAPP‐treated fiber composite showed best interfacial interactions as well as mechanical and thermal properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effects of wheat straw fiber content and characteristics,and coupling agent concentration on the mechanical properties of wheat straw fiber‐polypropylene composites

Wheat straw fiber‐polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared to investigate the effects of wheat straw fiber content (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt %), fiber size (9, 28, and 35 mesh), and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) concentration (1, 2, 5, and 10 wt %) on the static and dynamic mechanical properties of the wheat straw fiber‐PP composites in this study. The tensile modulus and strength of the composites increased linearly with increasing wheat straw fiber content up to 40%, whereas the elongation at break decreased dramatically to 3.78%. Compared with the composites made of the longer wheat straw fiber, the composites made of the fines (>35 mesh) had a slightly higher tensile strength of 31.2 MPa and tensile elongation of 5.39% at break. With increasing MAPP concentration, the composites showed an increase in tensile strength, and the highest tensile strength of 34.0 MPa occurred when the MAPP concentration reached 10 wt %. As wheat straw fiber content increased from 0 to 40%, the flexural modulus of the composites increased gradually from 1335 to 3437 MPa. The MAPP concentration and wheat straw fiber size distribution had no appreciable effect on the static flexural modulus of the composites. The storage flexural modulus of the composites increased with increasing wheat straw fiber content. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation on the fracture surface of the composites indicated that a high wheat straw fiber content (>30 wt %) resulted in fiber agglomeration and a reduction in interfacial bonding strength. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Long jute fiber‐reinforced polypropylene composite: Effects of jute fiber bundle and glass fiber hybridization

Two types of long jute fiber pellet consisting of twisted‐jute yarn (LFT‐JF/PP) and untwisted‐jute yarn (UT‐JF/PP) pellets are used to prepare jute fiber–reinforced polypropylene (JF/PP) composites. The mechanical properties of both long fiber composites are compared with that of re‐pelletized pellet (RP‐JF/PP) of LFT‐JF/PP pellet, which is re‐compounded by extrusion compounding. High stiffness and high impact strength of JF/PP composites are as a result of using long fiber. However, the longer fiber bundle consequently affects the distribution of jute fiber. The incorporation of 10 wt % glass fibers is found to improve mechanical properties of JF/PP composites. Increasing mechanical properties of hybrid composites is dependent on the type of JF/PP pellets, which directly affect the fiber length and fiber orientation of glass fiber within hybrid composites. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41819.     

The effect of fiber concentration on mechanical and thermal properties of fiber‐reinforced polypropylene composites

A novel composite material consisting of polypropylene (PP) fibers in a random poly(propylene‐co‐ethylene) (PPE) matrix was prepared and its properties were evaluated. The thermal and mechanical properties of PP–PPE composites were studied by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) with reference to the fiber concentration. Although, by increasing PP fiber concentration in PPE, no significant difference was found in melting and crystallization temperatures of the PPE, the storage, and the tensile and flexural modulus of the composites increased linearly with fiber concentrations up to 50%, 1.5, 1.0, 1.3 GPa, respectively, which was approximately four times higher than that for the pure PPE. There is a shift in glass transition temperature of the composite with increasing fiber concentration in the composite and the damping peak became flatter, which indicates the effectiveness of fiber–matrix interaction. A higher concentration of long fibers (>50% w/w) resulted in fiber packing problems, difficulty in dispersion, and an increase in void content, which led to a reduction in modulus. Cox–Krenchel and Haplin–Tsai equations were used to predict tensile modulus of random fiber‐reinforced composites. A Cole–Cole analysis was performed to understand the phase behavior of the composites. A master curve was constructed based on time–temperature superposition (TTS) by using data over the temperature range from −50 to 90°C, which allowed for the prediction of very long and short time behavior of the composite. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 2260–2272, 2005     

Effect of grafting yield and molecular weight of m‐TMI‐grafted‐PP on the mechanical properties of wood fiber filled polypropylene composites

m‐Isopropenyl‐α, α‐dimethylbenzyl isocyanate (m‐TMI) was grafted on isotactic polypropylene (PP) using di‐cumyl peroxide as a reaction initiator under varying reaction conditions to yield m‐TMI‐g‐PP coupling agent with four sets of grafting yield and molecular weight. Grafting yield of the synthesized m‐TMI‐g‐PP were 1.80%, 2.01%, 9.05%, and 8.86% and molecular weight of the corresponding grafted polymer were 129,225; [Correction made here after initial online publication.] 187,240; 124,130; and 180,838, respectively. Rubberwood flour reinforced polypropylene composites were prepared using these coupling agents and tested for mechanical properties. m‐TMI‐g‐PP coupling agent with 9.09% grafting and 124230 M_w was found to give the highest tensile and flexural strengths. Flexural modulus of the coupled composites was higher than uncoupled composites. Interfacial region of the composites characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) suggest effective wetting of fiber by PP in the case of coupled composites. The effect of fiber loading on composites indicates continuous increment in tensile and flexural strengths in coupled composites. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44196.     

Dynamic mechanical analysis of pineapple leaf/glass hybrid fiber reinforced polyester composites

The dynamic mechanical properties of randomly oriented intimately mixed hybrid composites based on pineapple leaf fibers (PALF) and glass fibers (GF) in unsaturated polyester (PER) matrix were investigated. The PALFs have high‐specific strength and improve the mechanical properties of the PER matrix. In this study, the volume ratio of the two fibers was varied by incorporating small amounts of GF such as PALF/GF, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, and 50/50, keeping the total fiber loading constant at 40 wt%. The dynamic modulus of the compositeswas found to increase on GF addition. The intimately mixed (IM) hybrid composites with PALF/GF, 80/20 (0.2 V_f GF) showed highest E′ values and least damping. Interestingly, the impact strength of the composites was minimum at this volume ratio. The composites with 0.46 V_f GF or PALF/GF (50/50) showed maximum damping behavior and highest impact strength. The results were compared with hybrid composites of different layering patterns such as GPG (GF skin and PALF core) and PGP (PALF skin and GF core). IM and GPG hybrid composites are found more effective than PGP. The activation energy values for the relaxation processes in different composites were calculated. The overall results showed that hybridization with GF enhanced the performance properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Influence of interfacial adhesion on the structural and mechanical behavior of PP‐banana/glass hybrid composites

Hybrid composites of polypropylene (PP), reinforced with short banana and glass fibers were fabricated using Haake torque rheocord followed by compression molding with and without the presence maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) as a coupling agent. Incorporation of both fibers into PP matrix resulted in increase of tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact strength upto 30 wt% with an optimum strength observed at 2 wt% MAPP treated 15 wt% banana and 15 wt% glass fiber. The rate of water absorption for the hybrid composites was decreased due to the presence of glass fiber and coupling agent. The effect of fiber loading in presence of coupling agent on the dynamic mechanical properties has been analyzed to investigate the interfacial properties. An increase in storage modulus (E′) of the treated‐composite indicates higher stiffness. The loss tangent (tan δ) spectra confirms a strong influence of fiber loading and coupling agent concentration on the α and β relaxation process of PP. The nature of fiber matrix adhesion was examined through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the tensile fractured specimen. Thermal measurements were carried out through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), indicated an increase in the crystallization temperature and thermal stability of PP with the incorporation of MAPP‐treated banana and glass fiber. POLYM. COMPOS., 31:1247–1257, 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Influence of fiber modification on interfacial adhesion and mechanical properties of pineapple leaf fiber‐epoxy composites

Three kinds of surface treatment, that is, the alkalization (5% w/v NaOH aqueous solution), the deposition of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) from toluene solution (1% w/v DGEBA), and the alkalization combined with the deposition of DGEBA (5% w/v NaOH/1% w/v DGEBA) were applied to modify interfacial bonding and to enhance mechanical properties of pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) reinforced epoxy composites. The fiber strength and strain were measured by single fiber test and the fiber strength variation was assessed using Weibull modulus. Furthermore, a fragmentation test was used to quantify the interfacial adhesion of PALF‐epoxy composite. It was verified that the interfacial shear strength of modified PALFs was substantially higher than that of untreated PALF by almost 2–2.7 times because of the greater interaction between the PALFs and epoxy resin matrix. The strongest interfacial adhesion was obtained from the fibers that had been received the alkalization combined with DGEBA deposition. Moreover, the flexural and impact properties of unidirectional PALF‐epoxy composites were greatly enhanced when reinforced with the modified PALFs due to an improvement in interfacial adhesion, particularly in the synergetic use of 5% NaOH and 5% NaOH/1% DGEBA. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Study on effects of short glass fiber reinforcement on the mechanical and thermal properties of PC/ABS composites

This article mainly investigated the length distributions of the alkali‐free short glass fibers in specimens and their effect on the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites. The results show that the initial length, addition level and feed way of the fibers have obvious effects on the length distributions of fibers in specimens, and thereby the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites. The main‐direction feed way has an intense shear action on the fibers in specimens. With the increase of the fiber content, the reinforcing effect of fibers on the tensile strength, flexural strength and flexural modulus of the composites is increased, while the impact strength is decreased first and then tends to be stable, and the strength factor (F) of the tensile strength to weld line is significantly reduced. The longer the fiber lengths in specimens are, the more obvious the reinforcing and toughening effects are. To some extent, with the increase of the fiber content, the storage modulus (E′) and loss modulus (E′′) of the specimens are increased, but the loss factor (Tan δ) is reduced. The effect of the fiber initial lengths on the heat‐degradation of composites is smaller than that of the fiber content. Meanwhile, adding fibers can improve the thermal stability of the composites, and this law is also confirmed by the heat deflection temperature (HDT) test. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40697.     

Unidirectional hemp and flax EP‐ and PP‐composites: Influence of defined fiber treatments

In some technical areas, mainly in the automotive industry, glass fiber reinforced polymers are intended to be replaced by natural fiber reinforced polymer systems. Therefore, higher requirements will be imposed to the physical fiber properties, fiber‐matrix adhesion, and the quality assurance. To improve the properties of epoxy resins (EP) and polypropylene (PP) composites, flax and hemp fibers were modified by mercerization and MAH‐PP coupling agent was used for preparing the PP composites. The effects of different mercerization parameters such as concentration of alkali (NaOH), temperature, and duration time along with tensile stress applied to the fibers on the structure and properties of hemp fibers were studied and judged via the cellulose I–II lattice conversion. It was observed that the mechanical properties of the fibers can be controlled in a broad range by using appropriate mercerization parameters. Unidirectional EP composites were manufactured by the filament winding technique; at the PP matrix material, a combination with a film‐stacking technique was used. The influence of mercerization parameters on the properties of EP composites was studied with hemp yarn as an example. Different macromechanical effects are shown at hemp‐ and flax‐PP model composites with mercerized, MAH‐PP‐treated, or MAH‐PP‐treated mercerized yarns. The composites' properties were verified by tensile and flexural tests. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 2150–2156, 2004     

Mechanical properties and foaming behavior of cellulose fiber reinforced high‐density polyethylene composites

This article investigates the effects of fiber length and maleated polymers on the mechanical properties and foaming behavior of cellulose fiber reinforced high‐density polyethylene composites. The results from the mechanical tests suggested that long fibers provided higher flexural and impact properties than short fibers. In addition, the maleated high‐density polyethylene increased flexural strength significantly, while the maleated thermoplastic elastormers increased notched Izod impact strength dramatically. On the other hand, the results from the extrusion foaming indicated that the composites with long and short fibers demonstrated similar cell morphology, i.e., a similar average cell size and cell size distribution. However, the addition of maleated high‐density polyethylene caused an increase of the average cell size and cell size distribution in the composites. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Mechanical properties and dynamic mechanical analysis of thermoplastic‐natural‐rubber‐reinforced short carbon fiber and kenaf fiber hybrid composites

The hybridization of thermoplastic natural rubber based on carbon fiber (CF) and kenaf fiber (KF) was investigated for its mechanical and thermal properties. Hybrid composites were fabricated with a melt‐blending method in an internal mixer. Samples with overall fiber contents of 5, 10, 15, and 20 vol % were subjected to flexural testing, and samples with up to 30% fiber content were subjected to impact testing. For flexural testing, generally, the strength and modulus increased up to 15 vol % and then declined. However, for impact testing, higher fiber contents resulted in an increment in strength in both treated and untreated composites. Thermal analysis was carried out by means of dynamic mechanical analysis on composites with 15 vol % fiber content with fractions of CF to KF of 100/0, 70/30, 50/50, 30/70, and 0/100. Generally, the storage modulus, loss modulus, and tan δ for the untreated hybrid composite were more consistent and better than those of the treated hybrid composites. The glass‐transition temperature of the treated hybrid composite was slightly lower than that of the untreated composite, which indicated poor damping properties. A scanning electron micrograph of the fracture surface of the treated hybrid composite gave insight into the damping characteristics. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Mechanical behavior of agro‐residue‐reinforced polypropylene composites

In this research, fully environment‐friendly, sustainable and biodegradable composites were fabricated, using wheat straw and rice husk as reinforcements for thermoplastics, as an alternative to wood fibers. Mechanical properties including tensile, flexural, and impact strength properties were examined as a function of the amount of fiber and coupling agent used. In the sample preparation, three levels of fiber loading (30, 40, and 50 wt %) and two levels of coupling agent content (0 and 2 wt %) were used. As the percentage of fiber loading increased, flexural and tensile properties increased significantly. Notched Izod results showed a decrease in strength as the percentage of fiber increases. With addition of 50% fiber, the impact strengths decreased to 16.3, 14.4, and 16.4 J/m respectively, for wheat straw‐, rice husk‐, and poplar‐filled composites. In general, presence of coupling agent had a great effect on the mechanical strength properties. Wheat straw‐ and rice husk‐filled composites showed an increase in the tensile and flexural properties with the incorporation of the coupling agent. From these results, we can conclude that wheat straw and rice husk fibers can be potentially suitable raw materials for manufacturing biocomposite products. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009