Effects of composition parameters on tensile and thermal properties of abaca fibre reinforced high impact polystyrene composites

The properties of fibre-reinforced composites are dependent not only on the strength of the reinforcement fibre but also on the distribution of fibre strength and the composition of the chemicals or additives addition within the composites. In this study, the tensile properties of abaca fibre reinforced high impact polystyrene (HIPS) composites, which had been produced with the parameters of fibre loading (30,40,50 wt.%), coupling agent maleic anhydride (MAH) (1,2,3 wt%) and impact modifier (4,5,6 wt.%) were measured. The optimum amount of MAH is 3% and the impact modifier is 6% and these give the best tensile properties. Meanwhile, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used to study the thermal behaviour within the optimum conditions of the composites. In this research, glass transitions temperature (Tg) of neat HIPS occurred below the Tg of the optimum condition of composites as the temperature of an amorphous state. The endothermic peak of the composites was in the range of 430-4350C, including neat HIPS. It was observed that enthalpy of the abaca fibre reinforced HIPS composites yielded below the neat HIPS of 748.79 J/g

Study on abaca (Musa textilis Nee) fibre reinforced high impact polystyrene (HIPS) composites by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)

In this research, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to measure the amount and rate of change in the weight (weight loss) of abaca fibre reinforced high impact polystyrene (HIPS) composites as a function of temperature. The function determined the composition of abaca fibre reinforced HIPS composites on predicting the thermal stability. The optimum composites designed with composition of abaca fibre 40 wt%; maleic anhydride 1 and 3 wt%, impact modifier 4 and 6 wt%, respectively. This paper studied the thermal characteristic of abaca fibre, reinforced HIPS composites as compared to the neat HIPS. The measurements were carried out in temperatures ranging from 25 to 600°C at heating rate 20°C min-1 and nitrogen gas flow of 50 ml min-1. The results from TGA analysis have shown that the combination among the coupling agent maleic anhydride, impact modifier and abaca fibre has improved the thermal stability of composites

Effect of degassing addition on the solidification of nickel aluminum bronze

The effect of degassing agent addition on the solidification of Nickel Aluminum Bronze was investigated. The complex relationship between the development of the alloy solidification and its thermal analysis in Nickel Aluminum Bronze was obtained by using data logger. This experiment describes the characterization of thermal analysis in Nickel Aluminum Bronze which was interpret using solidification cooling curve. With this method, the differences of temperature points during solidification were clearly evidenced. The results show a solidification cooling curve directly affected by percentage of degassing agent added in molten Nickel Aluminum Bronze alloy. There is distribution of temperature point after solidification from melting. As for degassing treatment, higher degassing addition on the Nickel Aluminum Bronze decreased the solidification temperature point

Physical properties of abaca (Musa textilis nee) fibre reinforced high impact polystyrene (HIPS) composites

The physical properties by natural fibre have a great importance, specifically in the structural of natural fibre which reinforces matrix. Response surface methodology with Box-Behnken (BB) design of experiment was utilized to study water absorption and melt flow index (MFI) of abaca fibre reinforced high impact polystyrene (HIPS) composites. The design utilizes fraction of weight abaca fibre, maleic anhydride (MAH), and impact modifier to develop models for characteristic behaviours of water absorption and MFI of composites. Abaca fibre reinforced high impact polystyrene (HIPS) composites were produced with different fibre loadings (30, 40, and 50 wt%), different compositions of coupling agent, maleic anhydried (MAH) (1, 2, and 3 wt%) and different compositions of impact modifier (4, 5, 6 wt%). The individual optimum of water absorption was found when loading abaca fibre close to 34.61 wt%, maleic anhydride 1 wt%, and impact modifier 4.01 wt%. The individual optimum of melt flow index dealt with loading abaca fibre 36.71 wt%, maleic anhydride 3 wt% and impact modifier 4.02 wt%. Meanwhile, the optimum condition for water absorption of abaca fibre reinforced HIPS composites was followed by a decreasing trend of the value of melt flow index

Sugar palm: challenges and opportunities

Scientific studies on sugar palm fibers date from 2004. Before that, not much information can be found on the use of the fibers in engineering applications. The sugar palm is a multipurpose tree, and each part of the tree is used in daily life especially in rural areas. Research on the use of the sugar palm fibers in composite reinforcement started in 2005, and the topic has gained much attention ever since. There are both challenges and opportunities associated with the use of this natural resource, which are highlighted in this chapter

Optimization of the mechanical properties of abaca fibre-reinforced high impact polystyrene (HIPS) composites using Box-Behnken design of experiments

Mechanical properties of polymer composites are influenced by many factors such as the types of fibres, the types of polymer matrix, the additives used and the adhesion between fibres and polymer matrix. To improve the interfacial adhesion between HIPS matrix and abaca fibres, a study of the optimum use of a coupling agent (MAH) and impact modifier is presented in this paper. Abaca fibre reinforced high impact polystyrene (HIPS) composites were produced with different fibre loadings (30, 40 and 50 wt.%), different compositions of coupling agent, maleic anhydride (MAH) (1, 2 and 3 wt.%) and different compositions of impact-modifier (4, 5 and 6 wt.%). A response surface methodology using Box-Behnken design was used in the design of experiments and analysis of results. Statistical analysis of mechanical properties gave very satisfactory model accuracy, because the coefficient of determinance was 0.9817 for impact strength, 0.9789 for tensile strength, 0.9672 for tensile modulus, 0.9700 for flexural strength, and 0.9747 for flexural modulus. In this study, a loading of abaca fibre of 36.76 wt.%, maleic anhydride 3 wt.%, and impact modifier 4 wt.% led to optimum individual impact strength. On the other hand, optimum individual tensile strength and tensile modulus were achieved when the loading of abaca fibre was close to 40.76 wt.%, maleic anhydride 3 wt.% and impact modifier 6 wt.%, but the optimum individual flexural strength and flexural modulus were found when the loading abaca fibre was close to 40.03 wt.%, maleic anhydride 3 wt.% and impact modifier 4 wt.%

Application of micromechanical modelling for the evaluation of elastic moduli of hybrid woven jute–ramie reinforced unsaturated polyester composites

Woven laminated composite has gained researchers’ and industry’s interest over time due to its impressive mechanical performance compared to unidirectional composites. Nevertheless, the mechanical properties of the woven laminated composite are hard to predict. There are many micromechanical models based on unidirectional composite but limited to the woven laminated composite. The current research work was conducted to evaluate elastic moduli of hybrid jute–ramie woven reinforced unsaturated polyester composites using micromechanical effectiveness unidirectional models, such as ROM, IROM, Halpin–Tsai, and Hirsch, which are based on stiffness. The hybrid jute–ramie laminated composite was fabricated with different layering sizes, and the stacking sequence was completed via hand lay-up with the compression machine. Tensile modulus values for hybrid composites are between those for single jute and single ramie. Obtained p-values less than 0.05 prove the relationship between layering size and tensile modulus. This study showed that several micromechanical models, such as Halpin–Tsai’s predicted value of homogenized mechanical properties, were in good agreement with the experimental result. In the case of the hybrid composite, the micromechanical model deviates from the experimental result. Several modifications are required to improve the current existing model. A correlation function was calculated based on the differences between the elastic modulus values determined experimentally and those derived from each micromechanical model calculation

Biodegradation of polylactic acid-based bio composites reinforced with chitosan and essential oils as anti-microbial material for food packaging

This study aims to produce and investigate the potential of biodegradable Polylactic Acid (PLA)-based composites mixed with chitosan and Turmeric Essential Oil (TEO) as an anti-microbial biomaterial. PLA has good barrier properties for moisture, so it is suitable for use as a raw material for making packaging and is included in the GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe). Chitosan is a non-toxic and antibacterial cationic polysaccharide that needs to be improved in its ability to fight microbes. TEO must be added to increase antibacterial properties due to a large number of hydroxyl (-OH) and carbonyl functional groups. The samples were prepared in three different variations: 2 g of chitosan, 0 mL TEO and 0 mL glycerol (Biofilm 1), 3 g of chitosan, 0.3 mL TEO and 0.5 mL of glycerol (Biofilm 2), and 4 g of chitosan, 0.3 of TEO and 0.5 mL of glycerol (Biofilm 3). The final product was characterized by its functional group through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR); the functional groups contained by the addition of TEO are C-H, C=O, O-H, and N-H with the extraction method, and as indicated by the emergence of a wide band at 3503 cm−1, turmeric essential oil interacts with the polymer matrix by creating intermolecular hydrogen bonds between their terminal hydroxyl group and the carbonyl groups of the ester moieties of both PLA and Chitosan. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of PLA as biofilms, the maximum temperature of a biofilm was observed at 315.74◦ C in the variation of 4 g chitosan, 0.3 mL TEO, and 0.5 mL glycerol (Biofilm 3). Morphological conditions analyzed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the addition of TEO inside the chitosan interlayer bound chitosan molecules to produce solid particles. Chitosan and TEO showed increased anti-bacterial activity in the anti-microbial test. Furthermore, after 12 days of exposure to open areas, the biofilms generated were able to resist S. aureus and E. coli bacteria

The effect of hybridisation on mechanical properties and water absorption behaviour of woven jute/ramie reinforced epoxy composites

Recently, the most critical issue related to the use of natural fibre-reinforced polymer composites (NFRPC) is the degradation properties of composites exposed to the environment. NFRPC’s moisture absorption behaviour has adverse effects on the composite’s mechanical properties and dimensional stability. The purpose of this study is to analyse the mechanical properties of epoxy composites reinforced by jute–ramie hybridisation. This study also analysed the effect of stacking sequence hybridisation of the jute–ramie composite on water absorption behaviour. A five-layer different type of stacking sequence of single and hybrid jute–ramie is produced with the hand lay-up method. The results obtained from this study found that the mechanical properties and water absorption behaviour of a single jute fibre are lower compared to a single ramie fibre. The hybrid of jute–ramie has been able to increase the performance of composite compared to pure jute composites. The mechanical properties of the hybrid jute–ramie composite show a reduction effect after exposure to an aqueous environment due to the breakdown of fibre matrix interfacial bonding. However, after 28 days of immersion, all types of the stacking sequence’s mechanical properties are still higher than that of pure epoxy resin. In conclusion, the appropriate sequence of stacking and selecting the material used are two factors that predominantly affect the mechanical properties and water absorption behaviour. The hybrid composites with the desired and preferable properties can be manufactured using a hand-lay-up technique and used in the various industrial applications

A brief review on the utilization of biopolymers in the manufacturing of natural fiber composites

The study briefly reviews the potential of biopolymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) and Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) to become a green matrix in developing entirely biodegradable composites. The suitability of PLA and PHA in the production of entirely biodegradable natural fibre composites is discussed in this paper. The thermal properties investigation reveals that PLA and PHA are compatible with natural fibre for biocomposite fabrication. Furthermore, this study investigates the effect and performance of mechanical properties, predominantly tensile properties of combination between different natural fibres with biopolymers. In Addition, all essential elements affecting the mechanical characteristics of biocomposites are highlighted. Therefore, the current study's findings are expected capable to provide a clear picture of the biopolymer's position in producing biocomposites. It is also expected that the findings from this study will help further improve the performance of natural fibre reinforced biopolymer composites