Mechanical, physical and morphological properties of Kenaf fiber and natural filler reinforced polypropylene hybrid composites
Natural fibers have become the potential alternatives to replace synthetic fibers due to its low cost, renewable, biodegradable, environmentally friendly and comparable mechanical properties to the synthetic fibers. Although many researches had been carried out on the natural fibers reinforced polym...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.utem.edu.my/id/eprint/21425/1/Mechanical%2C%20Physical%20And%20Morphological%20Properties%20Of%20Kenaf%20Fiber%20And%20Natural%20Filler%20Reinforced%20Polypropylene%20Hybrid%20Composites.pdf http://eprints.utem.edu.my/id/eprint/21425/2/Mechanical%2C%20physical%20and%20morphological%20properties%20of%20Kenaf%20fiber%20and%20natural%20filler%20reinforced%20polypropylene%20hybrid%20composites.pdf |
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| Summary: | Natural fibers have become the potential alternatives to replace synthetic fibers due to its low cost, renewable, biodegradable, environmentally friendly and comparable mechanical properties to the synthetic fibers. Although many researches had been carried out on the natural fibers reinforced polymer composites, there are still not many studies reported on hybrid composites that use a combination of bio-based fibers and particles as reinforcements. In this study, the effects of type and heat treatment of the natural filler, as well as the kenaf fiber form, on the properties of kenaf/polypropylene (kenaf/PP) composite were evaluated using mechanical, physical and morphological analysis. The composites were fabricated using melt mixing, extrusion and compression moulding processes. As the results, firstly, it was found that the kenaf short fiber/PP composite added with rubber seed shell powder (RSSP) exhibits higher overall mechanical properties compared to the oil palm shell powder (OPSP) added composite. This is probably due to higher cellulose content in RSSP that can create good intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonds, thus improve the mechanical properties. However, the higher cellulose content of the RSSP leads to higher water absorption of the RSSP added composite. Secondly, the kenaf non woven/OPSP/PP demonstrates higher mechanical properties compared to the kenaf short fiber/OPSP/PP hybrid composites, uniform fiber architecture and orientation of kenaf non woven, which produces higher mechanical properties compared to short fibers that are randomly distributed in the composite. Nevertheless, the kenaf non woven/OPSP/PP exhibits higher water absorption and thickness swelling because of the continuous nature of the fibers in non woven sheet as opposed to the isolated fibers surrounded by hydrophobic polymer matrix in the short fiber composite. Thirdly, the kenaf non woven/PP added with activated carbon of oil palm shell powder (ACOPSP) shows the highest increment in mechanical properties, followed by the activated carbon of oil palm shell in granule form (ACOPS), without affecting their density. This is due to higher surface areas exhibited by the ACOPSP and ACOPS compared to the untreated OPSP. The high surface area of the activated carbons particles can enhance the interfacial bonding of the fiber-matrix, and consequently improves the mechanical properties of the composites. However, the kenaf non woven/PP added with activated carbon of OPSP experiences higher water absorption and thickness swelling, than the composite added with untreated OPSP due to the higher surface area and porous structure in the activated carbon of OPSP. Kenaf fiber/natural fillers reinforced PP composites have the potential to be applied in various areas, particularly in automotive industry due to their low density. The composites can be considered in the manufacturing of interior car parts such as dashboard, panels at car doors, parcel shelves, seatbacks, spare tyre covers and pans. |
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