Influence of fiber volume fractions on the performances of alkali modified hemp fibers reinforced cyanate ester/benzoxazine blend composites

Abstract

In this current study, alkali treated eco-friendly hemp fibers were chosen to reinforce thermosetting resin blend composed of cyanate ester and benzoxazine resin. For various volume fractions ranging from 5 to 20 vol % with a regular increment of 5 vol%, their effects on the morphological, mechanical behaviour and water uptake properties were experimentally evaluated using the scanning electron microscopy, flexural, tensile and water uptake tests. The produced composites possessed much ameliorated flexural properties as compared to those of the unfilled resin. Data from the tensile test revealed a continuous increase in the composites' tensile strength and modulus as the proportion of the treated fibers augmented. Furthermore, the tensile experimental results were compared to the most commonly used empirical models like the rule of mixture (ROM), revised rule of mixture (RROM), inverse rule of mixture (IROM), Halpin Tsai (HT), Lewis and Nielson (LN), and Halpin Kardos (HK) models. It was found that the alkali treated fibers were arranged in a 3D random fiber arrangement according to the RROM model and the HK model was identified to fit well the tensile experimental results. The experimental results and theoretical modeling confirmed that the water absorption in the produced composites was increased and governed by the Fickian diffusion. These effects took place due to the chemical and morphological changes in the treated fiber external surfaces, which promoted better interfacial adhesion between the plant fibers and the polymer blend matrix.