Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Hemp Fiber Reinforced High Density Polyethylene Composites

Abstract

Hemp fiber reinforced composites was prepared using high density polyethylene (HDPE). Hemp fiber is a cellulosic fiber. It is used as reinforcement in thermoplastic matrix composite requires knowledge of their morphology and structure. In this paper, mechanical properties of chemically treated fiber reinforced HDPE composites were investigated over range of fiber content (0-50 wt%). The hemp fiber was alkali treated with 1-10 wt% to remove waxes and non-cellulosic surface components and triethoxyvinyl silane treated with 0.5-3 wt% to improve a better fiber-matrix interface. Fiber/matrix adhesion was assured by the use of use of polyethylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) as a compatibilizer. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and tensile tests were carried out for hemp fibers high density polyethylene composite. Findings indicate that a 5 wt% NaOH treatment effectively improved the fiber-matrix interface resulting in improved mechanical properties. All 40 wt% alkali treated fiber reinforced HDPE composites displayed higher young’s modulus and lower elongation at break as compared to neat HDPE, compatibilization with PE-g-MA resulted in an increased young modulus of the composites as consequence of an improved fiber-matrix interfacial adhesion.