Mechanical Characteristics Rice Husk Fiber (RHF) Blended Recycled Polyethylene (RPE) for RHF/RPE Polymer Composite

Abstract

This study investigates the mechanical characteristics of Rice Husk fibers (RHF) blended Recycled Polyethylene (RPE) to produce RHF/RPE polymer composites for building partition applications. The main objective is to formulate various composition ratios of RHF blended with RPE to fabricate optimum physical and mechanical properties to produce an RHF/RPE polymer composite. The significance of this research lies in developing a green polymer composite using natural resource materials such as RHF, which holds potential applications in Malaysia. Various ratios of RHF (0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1.0% by weight) were combined with RPE to create RHF/RPE polymer composites. The RHF fibers were processed into fine fibers measuring 0.5 ± 0.05 mm using a high-speed grinding machine operating at 18000 rpm. The process involved blending RHF with RPE using a Bra-blender machine with a pressure of 20 kPa and a temperature of 120℃. The results indicated the composition ratio of 0.4 wt./wt.% of RHF/RPE polymer composite demonstrated the optimum density (ASTM C20-00) at 715.74 cm2 and porosity at 1.02 g/cm2, highest tensile strength at 0.60 MPa at tensile strength (ASTM D638) with SEM microstructure analysis confirming well-reinforced bonding between RHF/RPE matrix. The bending test at 0.4 wt./wt.% achieved the highest bending strength at 27.17 MPa, with a maximum bending strain of 2.41%, and the impact test (ASTM D256) demonstrated the highest impact strength at 36.16 MPa with an impact modulus of 1.25 MPa. It can be concluded that the optimal composition for building partition applications is 0.4 wt./wt.% of RHF/RPE polymer composites.