Influence of Incorporation of Natural Fibers on the Physical, Mechanical, and Thermal Properties of Composites LDPE-Al Reinforced with Fique Fibers

Miguel A Hidalgo-Salazar,Mario F Muñoz,José H Mina

doi:10.1155/2015/386325

Miguel A Hidalgo-Salazar, Mario F Muñoz + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/386325

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Abstract

This study shows the effect of the incorporation of natural fique fibers in a matrix formed by low-density polyethylene and aluminum (LDPE-Al) obtained in the recycling process of long-life Tetra Pak packaging. The reinforcement content was 10, 20, and 30% fibers, manufactured by hot-press compression molding of composite boards (LDPE-Al/fique). From the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) it was determined that the proportions of the LDPE-Al were 75 : 25 w/w. Likewise, it was found that the aluminum particles increased the rigidity of the LDPE-Al, reducing the impact strength compared to LDPE recycled from Tetra Pak without aluminum; besides this, the crystallinity in the LDPE-Al increased with the presence of aluminum, which was observed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The maximum strength and Young’s modulus to tensile and flexural properties increased with the incorporation of the fibers, this increase being a direct function of the amount of reinforcement contained in the material. Finally, a reduction in the density of the compound by the generation of voids at the interface between the LDPE-Al and fique fibers was identified, and there was also a greater water absorption due to weak interphase fiber-matrix and the hydrophilic fibers contained in the material.

Highlights

In industry, composite materials have attracted great interest due to their good specific properties
It can be demonstrated that increasing the fiber content in the compound led to increases in the maximum strength and Young’s modulus and a decrease in the strain of the material, revealing that the material undergoes a phenomenon of stiffening due to the inclusion of natural fibers
It is worth noting that Hidalgo et al [9], in a similar work about a polyethylene-aluminomatrix reinforced with short fiber of fique, suggested the possible presence of mechanical anchors between the fibers and the matrix, which would restrict the strain capacity of lowdensity polyethylene and aluminum (LDPE-Al)

Summary

Introduction

Composite materials have attracted great interest due to their good specific properties These are evaluated according to the materials’ mechanical performance, which depends on the characteristics of each of their components, the arrangement of the reinforcement in the matrix, and interfacial quality. The trend in the state of the art tends to point toward polymeric matrices coming from renewable sources or recycling processes involving high turnover products Amongst the latter class of materials are mixtures of lowdensity polyethylene and aluminum (LDPE-Al) obtained from the recycling of long-life Tetra Pak packaging, which are composed of 5% aluminum, 20% polyethylene, and 75% paperboard. Due to the global interest, by the Tetra Pak company, in the recovery and reuse of LDPE-Al, in this work we studied the influence of incorporating fique fibers in a matrix based on a binary mixture of LDPE and aluminum (LDPE-Al) on some physical, thermal, and mechanical properties of composite LDPE-Al/fique. We evaluated the influence of the fibers on the heat stability, crystallinity, density, and water absorption of the material

Materials

Experimental Procedures

Results and Discussion

Conclusions