Thermal Conductivity of Thermoplastics Reinforced with Natural Fibers

With restrictions for environmental protection being strengthened, thermoplastics reinforced with natural fibers such as jute, kenaf, flax, etc., have replaced automotive interior materials such as chemical plastics. In this study, the thermal conductivity of several kinds of thermoplastic composites in the form of board composed of 48.5 mass% polypropylene (PP) and 48.5 mass% natural fiber (NF), and reinforced with 3.0 mass% maleated polypropylene (MAPP) and 0.3 mass% silane as the coupling agents, were measured at temperatures of −10, 10, and 30°C, using a heat flow meter apparatus. The results show that the thermal conductivity is in the range of 0.05–0.07 W · m⁻¹ · K⁻¹, and the thermal conductivity increased about 10–15% by adding MAPP and about 10–25% by soaking in a silane aqueous solution. The tensile strength was also measured, and the result shows similar trends as the thermal conductivity.Paper presented at the Seventeenth European Conference on Thermophysical Properties, September 5–8, 2005, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.