Investigating and predicting the performance deteriorations and trends of polyurethane bio-composites for more realistic sustainable design possibilities

Abstract

Abstract. Bio-composites have become the prime material selection for green products because of the increasing awareness of environmental issues. Moreover, the synergy of the materials features, performance, and recyclability are now vital for the proper design of green products to enhance sustainability. This work experimentally investigating and predicting the performance enhancements and/or deteriorations of polyurethane bio-composites resulting from various reinforcing and structural parameters at optimal processing conditions as a novel forecasting of the bio-composite materials trends to develop more realistic sustainable design possibilities for various applications of the polyurethane based composites. It aims also to give designers more reliable information for better and more realistic design requirements and customer attributes. Several composites were designed and produced with various reinforcing conditions via the melt blending method. The effects of structural reinforcing conditions on all of composites tensile strength, flexural strength, tensile modulus, flexural modulus, elongation to break and impact strength properties were revealed and supported with SEM results. Here, ASTM standards were considered while carrying out the experimental work to enhance the reliability in investigating the mechanical performance behaviors and trends of the investigated bio-composites. The average of five different experiments was considered in each specific sample result. Results have revealed and predicted that all of flexural strength, flexural modulus and the tensile modulus would be enhanced with increasing fiber loading. It was also shown that the flexure modulus of the composites with 40% fiber loading was capable of exceeding the value of 100 MPa. However, the impact strength property as well as both tensile strength and starin were deteriorated with increasing the fiber loading. Moreover, this work was capable of investigating the similarity in the mechanical behavior trends of the considered green composites. It was also identified that the poor filler dispersion due to excessive fiber loading resulted in some agglomeration for the fillers causing noticeable performance deterioration in some properties of the composites.