Kenaf/polypropylene nonwoven composites: The influence of manufacturing conditions on mechanical, thermal, and acoustical performance

The kenaf/polypropylene nonwoven composites (KPNCs), with 50/50 blend ratio by weight, were produced by carding and needle-punching techniques, followed by a compression molding with 6-mm thick gauge. The uniaxial tensile, three-point bending, in-plane shearing, and Izod impact tests were performed to evaluate the composite mechanical properties. The thermal properties were evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The performance of sound absorption and sound insulation was also investigated. An adhesive-free sandwich structure was found to have excellent sound absorption and insulation performance. Based on the evaluation of end-use performance, the best processing condition combination of 230 degrees C and 120 s was determined, and the correlation between mechanical properties and acoustical behavior was also verified by the panel resonance theory. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.