Thermal properties of sugar palm/glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane hybrid composites

Abstract

The aim of this work to investigate the effect of glass fiber (GF) on the thermal properties of sugar palm (SP)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) hybrid composites. Sugar palm/glass fiber hybrid composites at the different weight fraction of 0/40, 10/30, 20/20 and 30/10 were prepared by using melt-mixing compounding followed by hot pressing machine. Thermal properties of hybrid composites carried out by using Dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) and thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA). The storage modulus (E′), loss modulus (E″) and damping factor (tan δ) were evaluated as a function of different relative sugar palm/glass fiber weight fraction. Also, the peak height was investigated for tan δ curves. At higher glass fiber loading exhibited the highest storage and loss modulus while the lowest damping factor was observed for higher sugar palm fiber loading. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated that the amount of residue decreased as the glass fiber loading decreased. Overall, the hybridization of glass fiber with sugar palm/TPU composites enhances the thermal properties of the hybrid composites for automotive applications.