Assessment of the Natural Fiber Reinforced Bio-Polyethylene Composites Flexural Macro and Micromechanical Properties

One of the most common load modes is flexure. The paper measures and models the flexural strength and modulus of a bio-polyethylene reinforced with thermos-mechanical fibers from corn stover. Moreover, the authors use modified rules of mixtures to evaluate the contribution of the reinforcements to the properties of the composite. It was found a high impact of coupling agent content on the strength of the composites, and materials with a 6% of such agent and 50% of reinforcement increased 181% the strength of the matrix, and 464% its modulus. The obtained values are noticeable higher than polypropylene and some of its composites. Micromechanics analysis shows that the effect of natural fiber reinforcement on the flexural properties of a bio-based PE is similar to the effects on a polyolefin. Thus, the use of fully bio-based composites can be proposed as a substitute for some oil-based polymers, partially bio-based materials, and their composites.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the flexural strength and modulus of a bio-polyethylene reinforced with thermos-mechanical fibers from corn stover, and evaluates the contribution of the reinforcements to the properties of the composite using modified rules of mixtures. The study shows that the coupling agent content has a significant impact on the strength of the composites. The results suggest the potential of fully bio-based composites as substitutes for oil-based polymers and partially bio-based materials.