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Mechanical and thermal properties of environment‐friendly “green” composites made from pineapple leaf fibers and poly(hydroxybutyrate‐co‐valerate) resin
Author(s) -
Luo S.,
Netravali A. N.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
polymer composites
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.577
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1548-0569
pISSN - 0272-8397
DOI - 10.1002/pc.10363
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , flexural strength , ultimate tensile strength , differential scanning calorimetry , scanning electron microscope , thermogravimetric analysis , fiber , crystallinity , natural fiber , valerate , chemical engineering , physics , engineering , thermodynamics , butyrate , chemistry , food science , fermentation
This paper presents the mechanical and thermal properties of unidirectional, degradable, environment‐friendly “green” composites made from pineapple fibers and poly(hydroxybutyrate‐co‐valerate) (PHBV) resin. Tensile and flexural properties of the “green” composites with different fiber contents were measured in both longitudinal and transverse directions. Compared to those of virgin resin, the tensile and flexural strengths of “green” composites are significantly higher in the longitudinal direction while they are lower in the transverse direction. However, the mechanical properties are lower than those predicted by simple models. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) photomicrographs of the tensile fracture surfaces demonstrate fibers being pulled out from the matrix, the interfacial failure, fiber fibrillation, and the nonunidirectional nature of the “green” composites. The thermal behavior of the “green” composites, studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), showed that the presence of pineapple fibers does not affect the nonisothermal crystallization kinetics, crystallinity, and thermal decomposition of PHBV resin.