Premium
Insights into the effect of moisture absorption and fiber content on the mechanical behavior of starch–date‐palm fiber composites
Author(s) -
Saleh Aya A.,
Saleh Menna A.,
Al Haron Mohamed H.,
Farag Mahmoud
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
starch ‐ stärke
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.62
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1521-379X
pISSN - 0038-9056
DOI - 10.1002/star.201600254
Subject(s) - composite material , materials science , ultimate tensile strength , starch , fiber , thermoplastic , composite number , young's modulus , compression molding , moisture , natural fiber , absorption of water , molding (decorative) , modulus , food science , chemistry , mold
Biodegradable composites of starch–date‐palm fibers were prepared by first plasticizing corn starch and chemically treating the fibers before being formed by compression molding. The effect of fiber content on mechanical properties was examined and it was found that tensile strength and Young's modulus for 50 weight percent (wt%) fiber composite improved by 7 and 12.5 times, respectively, compared to thermoplastic starch. Impact strength showed similar behavior and improved by 4.3 times for 50 wt% fiber composites. At higher fiber content the matrix was insufficient to cover the fibers, causing the mechanical properties to deteriorate. The results also showed that exposure to moisture resulted in progressive decrease in mechanical properties with increasing moisture absorption. It was found that after reaching moisture saturation, the retained tensile strengths were about one‐third the starting values and the retained impact strengths were about two‐thirds the starting values.