Mechanical Properties of Phormium Tenax Reinforced Natural Rubber Composites

Sivasubramanian Palanisamy,Nagarajan Rajini,Carlo Santulli,Felipe Vannucchi De Camargo,Kalimuthu Mayandi,Azeez Alavudeen,Murugesan Palaniappan

doi:10.3390/fib9020011

Abstract

The introduction of natural fibers as a filler in a natural rubber (NR) matrix can be of relevance for their eco-friendly and sustainable nature as the substitute for carbon-based fillers. In this work, short Phormium tenax fibers were introduced in random orientation into a NR matrix in different lengths (6, 10, and 14 mm) and various amounts (10, 20, and 30%, taking 100 as the NR weight). The composite was fabricated using a two-roll mill according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D3184-11 standard. Several properties were determined, namely tensile and tear characteristics, hardness, and abrasion resistance. The results suggest that the shortest fiber length used, 6 mm, offered the best combination between loss of mechanical (tensile and tear) properties and hardness and the most acceptable resistance to abrasion, with the properties increasing with the amount of fibers present in NR. As a consequence, it is indicated that a higher amount of fibers could be possibly introduced, especially to achieve harder composites, though this would require a more controlled mixing process not excessively reducing tensile elongation at break.

Highlights

Natural fibers (NF) are fibers that are produced by plants, animals, and even geological processes
The use of natural fibers to serve as a reinforcement of natural rubber has received some attention lately, in particular to provide hardening and to reduce the use of fillers such as carbon black, which are traditionally used to improve the usefulness of rubber for practical purposes [13]
A substitution with natural fibers does influence the mechanical properties of rubber-based material, in particular tensile and tear properties and abrasion resistance

Summary

Introduction

Natural fibers (NF) are fibers that are produced by plants (as flax, hemp, and cotton), animals (as silk and wood), and even geological processes (as basalt). Because they offer an undisputed advantage in term of eco-sustainability [5,6,7] Given that their mechanical properties are not always excellent, it is in the integration (“hybridization”) between natural and technological fibers that the best successes in terms of application have been achieved today [8,9,10]. This happens for composites based on polymer resins, such as polyester and vinyl ester, with a huge number of investigations that show the positive effects offered by the natural fibers [11,12]. A substitution with natural fibers does influence the mechanical properties of rubber-based material, in particular tensile and tear properties and abrasion resistance

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Results

Conclusion