Mechanical Properties of Abaca-Glass Fiber Composites Fabricated by Vacuum-Assisted Resin Transfer Method

Comparative Evaluation of the Stiffness of Abaca-Fiber-Reinforced Bio-Polyethylene and High Density Polyethylene Composites

The use of bio-based matrices together with natural fibers as reinforcement is a strategy for obtaining materials with competitive mechanical properties, costs, and environmental impacts. However, bio-based matrices, unknown by the industry, can be a market entry barrier. The use of bio-polyethylene, which has properties similar to polyethylene, can overcome that barrier. In this study, composites reinforced with abaca fibers used as reinforcement for bio-polyethylene and high density polyethylene are prepared and tensile tested. A micromechanics analysis is deployed to measure the contributions of the matrices and reinforcements and to measure the evolution of these contributions regarding AF content and matrix nature. The results show that the mechanical properties of the composites with bio-polyethylene as a matrix were slightly higher than those of the composites with polyethylene as a matrix. It was also found that the contribution of the fibers to the Young's moduli of the composites was susceptible to the percentage of reinforcement and the nature of the matrices. The results show that it is possible to obtain fully bio-based composites with mechanical properties similar to those of partially bio-based polyolefin or even some forms of glass fiber-reinforced polyolefin.

Mechanical Properties of Polymer Composites Reinforced with Alkaline-Treated Natural Fibre

The mechanical characteristics of a high impact polyethylene composite (HIPC) reinforced with abaca fibre (AF) are investigated in relation to fibre loading. An alkaline behaviour was used to improve the characteristics of the abaca fibre. With a fibre length of 100 mm, five different fibre loadings of the abaca fibre were used to create the samples of the composite (25, 35, 45, 55, and 65 wt percent). The object was made using compression moulding with unidirectional fibre orientation. The influence of fibre loading was investigated using tensile, hardness, and density tests. In an experiment, it was shown that with 55 percent fibre loading, tensile strength was 312 percent higher than without, and Young’s modulus was 545 percent higher than without. While this was happening, the hardness and density of the AF/PE composites were found to be quite similar, with minor increases from 25 wt percent to 65 wt percent AF loading in comparison to the control sample’s zero wt percent AF loading. 67.42 Shore-D and 1.014 g/cm3 are the highest values. The alkaline treatment of the AF/PE composite had a substantial influence on mechanical characteristics, according to the findings.