Characterization of Mechanical Properties of Aligned Date Palm Frond Fiber-Reinforced Low Density Polyethylene

Abstract

In recent decades, natural fibers have received attention of scientists and researchers due to their ecofriendly characteristics that qualify them as potential reinforcement in polymer composites in place of synthetic fibers. In this study, an experimental investigation has been conducted to evaluate the effect of orientation of fibers on mechanical properties of a newly developed bio-composite in which date palm fronds (DPF) are embedded as fibers in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) matrix. Three bio-composite sheets with orientations of 0°, 45° and 90°, respectively have been fabricated after the date palm fronds were chemically treated. The fabricated composite specimens are tested under tensile load using Universal Testing Machine (UTM) in accordance with the ASTM D-638 standard. Then, a comparison of the experimental results against analytical results is made to examine the accuracy and agreement between the two. An inconsistency in moduli, as was discovered, is attributed to the adhesion quality between the fibers and surrounding matrix. Output results help to assess the applicability of such class of bio-composites in real-life applications. The results of tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and elongation at break revealed that date palm fronds can be used as reinforcement material in polymer-based composites for low strength applications.