Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Wood Plastic Biocomposites Prepared from Toughened Poly(lactic acid) and Rubber Wood Sawdust (Hevea brasiliensis)

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 630-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nawadon Petchwattana ◽  
Sirijutaratana Covavisaruch
2014 ◽  
Vol 970 ◽  
pp. 312-316
Author(s):  
Sujaree Tachaphiboonsap ◽  
Kasama Jarukumjorn

Thermoplastic starch (TPS)/poly (lactic acid) (PLA) blend and thermoplastic starch (TPS)/poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) blend were prepared by melt blending method. PLA grafted with maleic anhydride (PLA-g-MA) was used as a compatibilizer to improve the compatibility of the blends. As TPS was incorporated into PLA, elongation at break was increased while tensile strength, tensile modulus, and impact strength were decreased. Tensile properties and impact properties of TPS/PLA blend were improved with adding PLA-g-MA indicating the enhancement of interfacial adhesion between PLA and TPS. With increasing PBAT content, elongation at break and impact strength of TPS/PLA blends were improved. The addition of TPS decreased glass transition temperature (Tg), crystallization temperature (Tc), and melting temperature (Tm) of PLA. Tgand Tcof TPS/PLA blend were decreased by incorporating PLA-g-MA. However, the presence of PBAT reduced Tcof TPS/PLA blend. Thermal properties of TPS/PLA/PBAT blends did not change with increasing PBAT content. SEM micrographs revealed that the compatibilized TPS/PLA blends exhibited finer morphology when compared to the uncompatibilized TPS/PLA blend.


Aerospace ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Tse ◽  
Xueli Yu ◽  
Hugh Gong ◽  
Constantinos Soutis

Recycling carbon fibre is crucial in the reduction of waste from the increasing use of carbon fibre reinforced composites in industry. The reclaimed fibres, however, are usually short and discontinuous as opposed to the continuous virgin carbon fibre. In this work, short recycled carbon fibres (rCF) were mixed with flax and poly-lactic acid (PLA) fibres acting as the matrix to form nonwoven mats through wet-laying. The mats were compression moulded to produce composites with different ratios of rCF and flax fibre in the PLA matrix. Their flexural behaviour was examined through three-point-bending tests, and their morphological properties were characterised with scanning electron and optical microscopes. Experimental data showed that the flexural properties increased with higher rCF content, with the maximum being a flexural modulus of approximately 14 GPa and flexural strength of 203 MPa with a fibre volume fraction of 75% rCF and 25% flax fibre. The intimate mixing of the fibres contributed to a lesser reduction of flexural properties when increasing the flax fibre content.


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