Manufacturing and Mechanical Property Evaluations of CF/PLA Biocomposites

Abstract

This study uses carbon fibers (CF) to reinforce polylactic acid (PLA) matrices to form CF/PLA biocomposites. Tensile test, flexural test, and impact test are performed on biocomposites to evaluate their mechanical properties. The results of tests show that an increment of the CF content results in an increase in tensile strength, flexural strength, flexural modulus, and impact strength. The combination of 15 wt% CF provides the resulting biocomposites with a 72 % increase in tensile strength, a 322 % increase in flexural modulus, and a 96 % increase in impact strength.