Influence of compatibilizing system on morphology,thermal and mechanical properties of high flow polypropylene reinforced with short hemp fibers

Simultaneous influence of polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride (MAPP) and silane-treated hemp fibers (HF) on morphology, thermal and mechanical properties of high-flow polypropylene (PP) modified with poly[styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene] (SEBS) was studied in this paper. The addition of SEBS reduced the efficiency of MAPP in PP composites with HF, thus silane-treated fibers (HFs) were used to improve polymer–fiber interface. Thermal stability of HF was improved after silane treatment and less than 2% weight loss was observed at 240 °C in composites with 30 wt% HF. Better dispersion of fibers and better efficiency in enhancing static and dynamic mechanical properties of PP, doubling its strength and stiffness were observed in composites with treated fibers compared to untreated ones. High ability to absorb and dissipate energy and well-balanced strength and stiffness were showed by PP modified with SEBS and MAPP containing 30 wt% HFs. These composites were studied as an alternative to conventional PP/glass fibers composites for injection molding of small to medium auto parts.     

Mechanical properties of thermally treated hemp fibers in inert atmosphere for potential composite reinforcement

Hemp (Cannabis Sativ L.) is an important lignocellulosic raw material for the manufacture of cost-effective environmentally friendly composite materials. From an earlier study it was found that when hemp bast fibers were heated above the glass transition temperature of lignin, there was a migration of lignin to the surface of the fiber. The preliminary observations showed that heat treatment in inert environment seemed to provide enough fiber opening without affecting the associated tissues of the fibers. Here, hemp fibers were given heat treatment in an enclosed vessel in air as well as inert environment and their mechanical properties were compared to the raw hemp fiber. It was found that there were openings of fibers upon heating, both along the length as well as along the diameter or the width directions. For the same weight of the fiber, the total count of fibers increased during heat treatment, with increment up to 32% for inert environment and 39% for air environment; the increment was mainly due to opening up of fibers into lesser diameters than the original fibers. The strength properties were strongly influenced by the diameter of the fibers, with the lesser fibers contributing to greater tensile strength and modulus. The overall tensile strength and modulus of fibers treated in inert environment were found to have increased, probably due to production of fibers of lesser diameters, presumably with less number of natural defects. The overall strength of fiber treated in air environment, however, decreased even though there was opening up of fibers in this case as well. This was due to oxidation of various constituents of fiber which contributes strength.     

Impact of hemp shiv on cement setting and hardening: Influence of the extracted components from the aggregates and study of the interfaces with the inorganic matrix

The need for efficient building insulation with low environmental impact has led to a growing market for hemp lightweight concretes. However, a deeper understanding of the interactions between hemp particles and binders during the setting and hardening phase is needed to meet required industrial specifications. In this paper, the effects of three types of shiv and their corresponding water extracts on cement setting are compared. Various analyses show that these extracts delay hydration, thereby negatively affecting the mechanical properties of the cement. A comparison of the chemical composition of shiv water extracts highlights the importance of plant quality and the variability of their effects on cement. The development of a new methodology, combined with the use of ¹³C labeled plant material, made it possible to closely monitor the physiochemical phenomena occurring at the plant aggregate and cement matrix interface.     

Combined effect of silica fume and steel fibers on the impact resistance and mechanical properties of concrete

This study investigated the impact resistance and mechanical properties of steel fiber-reinforced concrete with water–cement ratios of 0.46 and 0.36, with and without the addition of silica fume. Hooked steel fibers with 60-mm length and an aspect ratio of 80, with three volume fractions of 0%, 0.5%, and 1% were used as the reinforcing material. In pre-determined mixtures, silica fume is used as a cement replacement material at 8% weight of cement. The experimental results show that incorporation steel fibers improve the strength performance of concrete, particularly the splitting tensile and the flexural strengths. A remarkable improvement was observed in impact resistance of the fibrous concretes, as compared with the reference materials. The results demonstrate that when steel fiber is introduced into the specimens including silica fume, the impact resistance and the ductility of the resulting concrete are considerably increased.     

Enhancement of mechanical properties of TiO2 nanofibers by reinforcement with polysulfone fibers

The titania (TiO₂)/polysulfone (PSF) blend fibers were prepared by hybrid electrospinning to impart mechanical stability to the TiO₂ fibers. The TiO₂/PSF blend fibers (2/1 and 1/1, w/w) were prepared by adjusting the flow rate of PSF solution with the flow rate of the TiO₂ sol fixed. The PSF fibers in the blend fibers provided the mechanical stability for the TiO₂ fibrous mat. Both the tensile strength and modulus of the TiO₂/PSF blend fibers increased gradually with increasing PSF content, whereas the breaking elongation decreased. This suggests that PSF fibers play an important role in the mechanical resistance of blend fiber mats.     

Effect of pectin and hemicellulose removal from hemp fibres on the mechanical properties of unidirectional hemp/epoxy composites

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of pectin and hemicellulose removal from hemp fibres on the mechanical properties of hemp fibre/epoxy composites. Pectin removal by EDTA and endo-polygalacturonase (EPG) removed epidermal and parenchyma cells from hemp fibres and improved fibre separation. Hemicellulose removal by NaOH further improved fibre surface cleanliness. Removal of epidermal and parenchyma cells combined with improved fibre separation decreased composite porosity factor. As a result, pectin removal increased composite stiffness and ultimate tensile strength (UTS). Hemicellulose removal increased composite stiffness, but decreased composite UTS due to removal of xyloglucans. In comparison of all fibre treatments, composites with 0.5% EDTA + 0.2% EPG treated fibres had the highest tensile strength of 327 MPa at fibre volume content of 50%. Composites with 0.5% EDTA + 0.2% EPG → 10% NaOH treated fibres had the highest stiffness of 43 GPa and the lowest porosity factor of 0.04.     

Influence of coupling agent content on the properties of high density polyethylene composites reinforced with oil palm fibers

Oil palm fiber reinforced high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites which can be used in several applications (mechanical part, fiber panel, etc.) were manufactured by twin-screw extrusion followed by compression molding. In particular, the effect of coupling agent (maleated polypropylene, MAPP) concentration (0, 2, 4 and 6 wt.%) was investigated for 30 and 40 wt.% oil palm fiber. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and mechanical testing (tension and impact) were carried out to determine the effect of fiber and compatibilizer contents. The results showed that compatibilized composites have increased stiffness due to enhanced interfacial adhesion between the fibers and the matrix, as well as better homogeneity (better fiber dispersion) due to chemical bonding. The optimum MAPP content was found to be 4% for the range of conditions tested.     

Influence of redmud on the mechanical,damping and chemical resistance properties of banana/polyester hybrid composites

A novel hybrid composite was developed with the addition of redmud as secondary reinforcing filler with banana fiber reinforced polyester composites (BFRPCs). The effect of varying parameters such as particle size (4, 6 and 13 μm) and weight percentage (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 wt%) of redmud were analyzed on static mechanical, free vibration and chemical resistance properties of hybrid composites. The addition of redmud shown enhanced performance compared to the virgin BFRPCs in all the above said properties. The maximum increase of 50% in mechanical strength was observed for the BFRPCs with the addition of redmud having 4 μm particle size and 8 wt% of filler content compared to pure BFRPCs. The increased value of fundamental natural frequencies with associated modal damping characteristics of redmud filled BFRPCs were found using half-power band width method. All the fabricated composites performed well against various chemicals and it indicates that the resistance to the weight loss is due to the uniformly distributed redmud. To study the effect of redmud on interfacial bonding between the banana fiber and polyester matrix the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image analysis was performed.     

Influence of aqueous medium on mechanical properties of conventional and new environmentally friendly regenerated cellulose fibers

Comparative investigations between the new lyocell fibers and the regular viscose and modal types were made in order to explain the reasons for the differences in the mechanical properties of the fibers. The purpose was a systematic analysis of structure characteristics and of influence of aqueous medium on the mechanical properties. The properties determined in the wet state reflect the effect of the aqueous medium on the changes in the supermolecular structure during wet treatments [1, 2]. The new lyocell fibers consist of longer molecules and have a higher degree of crystallinity. Smaller but longer crystallites are oriented in the fiber axis direction and the voids structure is similar to that of viscose fibers [3]. Good mechanical properties are conditioned by the structure of the lyocell fibers, above all by high values of the orientation factor and crystallinity index. Sorption properties place lyocell fibers between the viscose and modal fibers. The water influence on the mechanical properties of lyocell fibers is considerably smaller compared to the viscose and modal fibers. Received: 18 September 2000 / Reviewed and accepted: 20 September 2000     

Influence of fiber content on mechanical,morphological and thermal properties of kenaf fibers reinforced poly(vinyl chloride)/thermoplastic polyurethane poly-blend composites

Kenaf (Hibiscus Cannabinus) bast fiber reinforced poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) poly-blend was prepared by melt mixing method using Haake Polydrive R600 internal mixer. The composites were prepared with different fiber content: 20%, 30% and 40% (by weight), with the processing parameters: 140 °C, 11 min, and 40 rpm for temperature, time and speed, respectively. After mixing, the composite was compressed using compressing molding machine. Mechanical properties (i.e. tensile properties, flexural properties, impact strength) were studied. Morphological properties of tensile fracture surface were studied using Scanning electron microscope (SEM). Thermal properties of the composites were studied using Thermogravimetric Analyses (TGA). PVC/TPU/KF composites have shown lower tensile strength and strain with increase in fiber content. Tensile modulus showed an increasing trend with increase in fiber content. Impact strength decreased with increase in fiber content; however, high impact strength was observed even with 40% fiber content (20.2 kJ/m²). Mean while; the 20% and 30% fiber contents showed higher impact strength of 34.9, 27.9 kJ/m²; respectively. SEM showed that there is poor fiber/matrix adhesion. Thermal degradation took place in three steps. In the first step, composites as well as the matrix had a similar stability. At the second step, matrix showed a slightly better stability than the composites. At the last step, composites showed a better stability than the matrix.     

Influence of various starch/hemp mixtures on mechanical and acoustical behavior of starch-hemp composite materials

The starch-hemp composite materials are manufactured from the natural raw materials (water, starch and hemp shives) and a new durable material for construction and building. In this work, experimental investigation was carried out to study the mechanical and acoustical performance of starch-hemp composite materials. The starch-hemp composite materials specimens with five Hemp/Starch ratios (H/S = 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14), were manufactured by using the optimal binder and two hemp shives (0–15 mm and 0–20 mm). Density of the starch-hemp composite materials varies with the H/S ratio. The dry density for the starch-hemp composite materials is lower, between 163.6 kg/m³ and 169.1 kg/m³ in case of the hemp shives 0–15 mm and between 168.1 kg/m³ and 174.3 kg/m³ for the hemp shives 0–20 mm. The relation between stress and strain of the composite materials is not linear. The ultimate compressive stress can reach 0.55 MPa and the compressive strain is up to 30%. The results obtained by test show that the tensile strength depends strongly on the Hemp/Starch ratio and the hemp shives sizes. The variation of elasticity modulus and Poisson's ratio in function of the H/S ratio was also analyzed in this paper. The mechanism of the cracks or failure of the specimens was studied by using ARAMIS optical system. The study on acoustical behavior shows that the starch-hemp composite materials are a good sound absorber material for medium and high frequencies with a value around 0.7. The influence of the H/S ratio on the absorption coefficient is small. The results show that the starch-hemp composite materials have a good mechanical and acoustical performance and can be used as building materials.     

Controlled retting of hemp fibres: Effect of hydrothermal pre-treatment and enzymatic retting on the mechanical properties of unidirectional hemp/epoxy composites

The objective of this work was to investigate the use of hydrothermal pre-treatment and enzymatic retting to remove non-cellulosic compounds and thus improve the mechanical properties of hemp fibre/epoxy composites. Hydrothermal pre-treatment at 100 kPa and 121 °C combined with enzymatic retting produced fibres with the highest ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 780 MPa. Compared to untreated fibres, this combined treatment exhibited a positive effect on the mechanical properties of hemp fibre/epoxy composites, resulting in high quality composites with low porosity factor (α_pf) of 0.08. Traditional field retting produced composites with the poorest mechanical properties and the highest α_pf of 0.16. Hydrothermal pretreatment at 100 kPa and subsequent enzymatic retting resulted in hemp fibre composites with the highest UTS of 325 MPa, and stiffness of 38 GPa with 50% fibre volume content, which was 31% and 41% higher, respectively, compared to field retted fibres.     

激光改性纤维对其增强环氧树脂复合材料力学性能的影响

利用激光对玻璃纤维、玄武岩纤维和碳纤维进行表面改性后,以环氧树脂为基体,分别制备三种纤维增强环氧树脂复合材料。利用SEM和万能试验机对表面改性前后的碳纤维形态、力学性能及三种纤维/环氧树脂复合材料的力学性能和断面形貌进行表征,研究了纤维激光表面改性对三种纤维及其增强环氧树脂复合材料力学性能的影响。结果表明:激光表面改性对碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料的力学性能提升最高,其拉伸强度最大提高了77.06%,冲击强度最大提高了31.25%,玄武岩纤维/环氧树脂复合材料的力学性能提升次之,而玻璃纤维/环氧树脂复合材料的力学性能有所下降。因此,激光进行表面改性适用于碳纤维和玄武岩纤维。     

Influence of an Agatha flax fibre location in a stem on its mechanical,chemical and morphological properties

The mechanical properties of flax fibres are analysed as a function of their biochemical and morphological characteristics. The fibres, from the Agatha variety, have been selected from either the top, the middle or the bottom of the stems. The results of each analysis are discussed according to the position of the fibre in the stem and compared among themselves. Considering a flax fibre as a natural composite, this study underlines the complexity of its structure and shows that many parameters intervene in its deformation behaviour.     

Effects of functional group of carbon nanotubes on mechanical properties of carbon fibers

The effects of surface functionalization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the mechanical properties of carbon fibers (CFs) have been investigated. The surface functionalization of CNTs was carried out with a diazonium reagent. Compared to pure PAN, only the fluoro phenyl functionalized CNTs (F-Ph-CNT) incorporated PAN composites showed a significant increase up to 22 °C of T_g and displayed the second peak due to the interfacial interaction between F-Ph-CNT and PAN. Among the samples, 0.5wt% of F-Ph-CNT reinforced CFs exhibited a 46% increase in tensile strength (4.1 GPa) and a 37% increase in modulus (302 GPa), respectively compared to that of pure CFs.     

Influence of the filament winding tension on physical and mechanical properties of reinforced composites

In this experimental investigation the influence of the applied tow tension during filament winding on the physical and mechanical properties of glass-fibre reinforced polymeric composite tubulars, was studied. Pressure retaining tubular products used in the transportation/storage of fluids are generally subjected to a variety of loading conditions during their service life; thus tubular specimens were tested under different biaxial loading ratios. The stress/strain response was recorded and functional and structural failure envelopes were developed. These envelopes indicate the leakage and final failure characteristics of the components, respectively. The mechanical properties were analysed in conjunction with the measured physical properties: ‘fibre volume fraction’ and ‘effective wall thickness’. Experimental findings demonstrate that the component strength depends on the degree of fibre tensioning. Under fibre-dominated loading conditions, higher winding tension leads to an improved resistance against failure of tubular components, whereas under matrix-dominated loading failure is delayed by reduced fibre tensioning.     

Influence of Mo content on microstructure and mechanical properties of high strength pipeline steel

The effect the Mo content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of high strength pipeline steel X80 was investigated in the present study. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to investigate the microstructure of the steel. It was concluded that, the proportion of acicular ferrite increased as the amount of Mo content increased, which resulted in the enhancement of yield and tensile strength; on the other hand, the yield ratio decreased and the toughness deteriorated as the quantity of M–A increased.     

Hexachiral truss-core with twisted hemp yarns: Out-of-plane shear properties

This work describes a truss-core structure made of hemp/epoxy biocomposite based on a topology with auxetic (negative Poisson’s ratio) characteristics. Epoxy-based composites with 25 wt.% of hemp yarns have been manufactured and characterized with tensile and flexural tests. Truss-core hexagonal chiral panels with the biocomposite core have been produced using a Resin Transfer Molding technique. The panels have been subjected to standard transverse shear tests, and their properties predicted with a Finite Element nonlinear modeling. The results show that the hexachiral biocomposite truss core exhibits specific shear modulus and strength significantly higher compared to the ones observed in previous demonstrators made of polymeric core.     

Tensile properties of chemically treated hemp fibres as reinforcement for composites

Natural fibres, unlike synthetic fibres fabricated in-house, grow naturally. Their geometrical and physical properties are highly affected by environmental issues such as climate change. For instance, inconsistent cross-sectional areas and shapes along the length of a natural fibre can result from environmental changes. These irregularities in natural fibres affect the ultimate load that can be carried by these fibres in structural engineering applications. In this study, the tensile properties of single hemp fibres were measured by taking into account, the variations in fibre diameters. Alkali, acetyl and silane treatments of fibres were carried out to obtain a better surface finish. The treatment effects on the fibres with respect to tensile properties were discussed. The relationship between tensile properties of treated fibres and the variation of their diameters was also studied. It was found that the tensile strength of chemically-treated fibres was lower than that of untreated fibres.     

Influence of SiC particles on mechanical properties of Mg based composite

AZ91 magnesium alloy reinforced with different sizes of SiC particulates has been fabricated using powder metallurgy route. Mechanical properties of the specimens have been studied. Yield and ultimate tensile stresses show a decrease with the increase in the size of SiC particulates. The influence of thermal shock between 400°C and 30°C on the mechanical properties was also investigated. The results show a decrease in yield stress and elongation to fracture with the number of thermal shock cycles.