Abstract
The demand for eco-friendly renewable natural fibers has grown in recent years. In this study, a series of polypropylene-based composites reinforced with single bamboo fibers (SBFs), prepared by non-woven paving and a hot-pressing process, were investigated. The influence of the content of SBF on impact strength, flexural strength, and water resistance was analyzed. The properties of the composites were greatly affected by the SBF content. Impact strength increased as SBF content increased. The modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity show an optimum value, with SBF contents of 40% and 50%, respectively. The surface morphology of the fractured surfaces of the composites was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The composites showed poor interfacial compatibility. The water resistance indicates that the composites with higher SBF contents have higher values of water absorption and thickness swelling, due to the hydrophilicity of the bamboo fibers. The thermal properties of the composites were characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis and by differential scanning calorimetry. The thermal stability of the composites was gradually reduced, due to the poor thermal stability of SBFs. In the composites, the maximum decomposition temperature corresponding to SBF shows an increasing trend. However, the maximum decomposition temperature of polypropylene was not influenced by SBF content. The melting point of the polypropylene in the composites was lower relative to pure polypropylene, although it was not affected by increasing SBF content.
Highlights
Man-made fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites are widely used in industry because of their high specific strength and stiffness
To evaluate the influence of single fiber content on the properties of single bamboo fibers (SBFs)-reinforced PP composites, their mechanical properties and thermal behavior were characterized by impact strength, bending strength, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
Plant fiber composites are widely used in automotive interiors, where the shock resistance of composites plays an important role
Summary
Man-made fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites are widely used in industry because of their high specific strength and stiffness. Plant fibers possess the advantage of a high aspect ratio and a high strength to weight ratio [6,7,8,9] These advantages make them a potential replacement for man-made fibers in fiber-reinforced composites. We propose to use single bamboo fibers to reinforce PP composites to improve the mechanical properties of composites expected to be. Non-woven paving technology was used to prepare SBF/PP mats, which contributed to the content of fibers in the Z-direction, and improved the uniform distribution of the fibers. To evaluate the influence of single fiber content on the properties of SBF-reinforced PP composites, their mechanical properties and thermal behavior were characterized by impact strength, bending strength, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The microstructural morphology and water absorption of the composites were investigated and compared to composites reinforced with fiber bundles
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