Flammability and mechanical properties of Timoho fiber-reinforced polyester composite combined with iron powder filler

Abstract

Natural fiber reinforced composites are usually added with fillers to improve their performance. However, this often affects the other composite properties. This study describes the successful development of timoho fiber (TF)-reinforced polyester composites combined with iron powder (IP) filler. Composite fabrication used hot press method. Flame, thermal, mechanical, and morphological characteristics were analyzed to determine the effect of variations on the volume fraction of IP filler in polyester composites with 30% (wt) TF. The results showed that the PTF composite had the highest tensile strength of 119.26 MPa. The impact toughness and the highest compressive strength were obtained at 126.74 kJ/m2 and 155.72 MPa, respectively, for the TF10IP composite. The elongation of the polyester composite decreased with the addition of IP filler from 3.58% to 2.19%. In contrast to elongation, the modulus of elasticity of the polyester composite increased from 4.14 to 4.94 GPa with the addition of IP filler. However, the thermal stability (TGA) and flame resistance of the composite increased. Observation of composite fracture morphology revealed the appearance of voids and TF pullout which supported the analysis of composite tensile strength.