Properties of polypropylene composites as function of reinforcement by plant fibers

Abstract

Plant based fibers have great potential to be used as reinforcement agents in manufacturing of value-added recycled plastic composites. The objective of this work is to investigate effect of fibers from three plants, namely coconut (Cocos nucifera), oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), and corn (Zea mays) as reinforcement material in polypropylene matrix. Plastic-based composites as experimental panels using 26 %, 36 %, and 46 % of above plant fiber were manufactured in laboratory conditions. Mechanical properties of the samples including their flexural and hardness characteristics were determined. Thermal properties as well as flammability resistance of the specimens were also tested within the perspective of this study. Based on the findings in this work, those sample having coconut fiber resulted significantly higher both mechanical and physical properties than those panels made with oil palm and corn fiber. It appears that increased amount of fiber content in the samples adversely influenced their flammability while the overall mechanical properties of the samples were enhanced with an exception of flexural strength. Fiber types did not result in any influence on thermal stability of the samples.