scholarly journals Mechanical Properties, Wettability and Thermal Degradation of HDPE/Birch Fiber Composite

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1459
Author(s):  
Agbelenko Koffi ◽  
Fayçal Mijiyawa ◽  
Demagna Koffi ◽  
Fouad Erchiqui ◽  
Lotfi Toubal

Wood–plastic composites have emerged and represent an alternative to conventional composites reinforced with synthetic carbon fiber or glass fiber–polymer. A wide variety of wood fibers are used in WPCs including birch fiber. Birch is a common hardwood tree that grows in cool areas such as the province of Quebec, Canada. The effect of the filler proportion on the mechanical properties, wettability, and thermal degradation of high-density polyethylene/birch fiber composite was studied. High-density polyethylene, birch fiber and maleic anhydride polyethylene as coupling agent were mixed and pressed to obtain test specimens. Tensile and flexural tests, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry analysis and surface energy measurement were carried out. The tensile elastic modulus increased by 210% as the fiber content reached 50% by weight while the flexural modulus increased by 236%. The water droplet contact angle always exceeded 90°, meaning that the material remained hydrophobic. The thermal decomposition mass loss increased proportional with the percentage of fiber, which degraded at a lower temperature than the HDPE did. Both the storage modulus and the loss modulus increased with the proportion of fiber. Based on differential scanning calorimetry, neither the fiber proportion nor the coupling agent proportion affected the material melting temperature.

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 171-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Benoit ◽  
Rubén González-Núñez ◽  
Denis Rodrigue

This work investigates the loss of performance and the recyclability of natural fibre composites for a long-term closed-loop process. Composites based on flax fibres and high-density polyethylene are subjected up to 50 extrusion cycles under constant processing conditions with or without maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene as a coupling agent. The results show that the addition of fibre increases the rigidity but decreases the elongation properties. The initial processing cycle leads to an important decrease of the fibre length and modification of the molecular weight distributions, thus indicating that the addition of fibre enhances chain scission and that fibre breakup mainly happens during the initial processing. The effect of recycling is much less significant, except for the mechanical properties. Negligible variations are observed for density, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, gel permeation chromatography and impact results. On the contrary, the mechanical properties are strongly affected by recycling as most of them increase with recycling. The addition of a coupling agent improves the composite properties, but this effect disappears with recycling. These trends are associated to a balance between fibre breakup and macromolecular chain scission compared to more homogeneous materials (better fibre distribution) taking place in the materials during recycling. The results show that long-term recycling of composites is possible as their overall performances remain acceptable.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catalin Fetecau ◽  
Felicia Stan ◽  
Laurentiu Sandu ◽  
Florin Susac

This paper investigates the ability of the equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) process to induce morphological changes and hence tune the mechanical properties of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). In this study, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), compression and cylindrical macro-indentation tests have been used to investigate the evolution of the mechanical properties of HDPE processed by ECAE up to four passes via route BC, i.e. counter clockwise 90° billet rotation about its longitudinal axis. It was found that the ECAE process induces significant plastic deformations with changes in the crystalline structure. The ECAE process increased the HDPE crystallinity by 10 to 15%. The number of ECAE passes has a significant effect on the magnitude of the mechanical properties especially on the elastic modulus and yield stress. Young’s modulus and yield strength decreased with increasing the number of ECAE passes and reached a stationary state after the third pass.


2011 ◽  
Vol 471-472 ◽  
pp. 827-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazatusziha Ahmad ◽  
Mat Uzir Wahit ◽  
Mohammed Rafiq Abdul Kadir ◽  
Khairul Zaman Mohd Dahlan

In this study, blends of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene/high density polyethylene/polyethylene glycol (UHMWPE/HDPE/PEG) and the composites containing Hydroxyapatite (HA) as reinforcement filler were prepared via single screw extruder nanomixer followed by compression moulding. PEG (2phr) was used as processing aid and HA loadings were varied from 10 to 50 phr. HDPE and PEG were introduced to improve the extrudability of UHMWPE. Rheological behavior was studied via capillary rheometer while flexural and izod impact tests were conducted in order to investigate the mechanical properties of the blends and composites. Melt viscosity of the blends was found to decrease with increasing shear rate indicating a pseudoplastic behaviour. Incorporation of PEG shows a synergism effect on the reduction of blends viscosity. Blend of 40% UHMWPE/ 60% HDPE/ 2 phr PEG was chosen as the optimum blend composition with a balance properties in terms of the mechanical properties and processability. The incorporation of HA fillers from 10 to 50 phr into the blend resulted in the increase of flexural modulus and flexural strength with a slight decline of impact strength values. It can be concluded that the composites having adequate strength and modulus within the range of cancellous bone properties were succesfully developed to be used as biomedical implant devices.


2011 ◽  
Vol 279 ◽  
pp. 115-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Long Gao ◽  
Yan Hui Liu ◽  
Shou Dong Wei

High-density polyethylene (HDPE)/silica composites with different silicon dioxide fraction were prepared by the melting blend method. The effects of silicon dioxide content on the thermal properties and mechanical properties were mainly investigated. The results show that the thermal degradation of the composites shifts towards higher temperatures as the concentration of silicon dioxide is increased. With increasing silica dioxide content, the tension yield strength of HDPE/silicon composites increased, but its breaking elongation decreased. When silicon dioxide content is 5 %, the tension yield strength and its breaking elongation are 29.33 MPa and 102.82 %, respectively.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 855-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
AK Sudari ◽  
AA Shamsuri ◽  
ES Zainudin ◽  
PM Tahir

Three types of surfactants, specifically cationic, anionic, and nonionic, at different weight percentages were added into high-density polyethylene/low-density polyethylene/cellulose (HDPE/LDPE/cellulose) biocomposites via melt mixing. The cationic and anionic surfactants which are hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) and sodium stearate (SS), respectively, were added from 4 to 20 wt%, whereas the nonionic surfactant which is sorbitan monostearate (SM) was added from 1 to 5 wt%. The mechanical testing results exhibited that the addition of HTAB increased tensile strength and tensile modulus, while SS deteriorated mechanical properties, while SM increased impact strength and tensile extension of the biocomposites. Based on the mechanical properties results, optimum weight percentages of HTAB and SM were 12 wt% and 4 wt%, respectively. The scanning electron microscopic micrographs displayed that the amount of cellulose fillers pullout decreased with the addition of HTAB, followed by SM, but it increased with SS. Fourier transform infrared spectra, X-ray diffractometer patterns, thermogravimetric analysis results, and differential scanning calorimetry thermograms have confirmed the presence of physical interactions only with the addition of HTAB and SM. Based on the results, compatibilizing effect was found in HTAB, whereas SM has not showed compatibilizing effect but instead plasticizing effect. However, neither compatibilizing nor plasticizing effect was exhibited by SS.


2012 ◽  
Vol 729 ◽  
pp. 216-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajnalka Hargitai ◽  
Tamás Ibriksz ◽  
János Stifter ◽  
Endre Andersen

In our experiments polyamide 6/high density polyethylene blends (25/75 wt%) were produced and maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene was used as chemical coupling agent. To get finer microstructure and enhance the mechanical properties the blends were compounded by different nanostructured reinforcements. Two kinds of nanosilicate, the layered structure montmorillonite and the needle like sepiolite were applied in different concentrations and their effect on the mechanical and melting properties were examined.


Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Sergi ◽  
Jacopo Tirillò ◽  
Maria Carolina Seghini ◽  
Fabrizio Sarasini ◽  
Vincenzo Fiore ◽  
...  

The Achilles heel of thermoplastic natural fibre composites is their limited durability. The environmental degradation of the mechanical properties of hemp and hemp/basalt hybrid-reinforced high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites has been investigated with a special focus on the effects of water ageing and accelerated ageing, including hygrothermal and UV radiation. Modification of the matrix was carried out using a maleic anhydride high-density polyethylene copolymer (MAPE) as a compatibilizer. Hybridization of hemp fibres with basalt fibres and the incorporation of MAPE were found to significantly decrease the water uptake (up to 75%) and increase the retention of mechanical properties after accelerated ageing. Secondary crystallization phenomena occurring in the composites, as confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, were able to counteract the severe combined effects of hygrothermal stress and UV radiation, with the exception of hemp-fibre composites where permanent damage to the fibres occurred, with 2% and 20% reduction in tensile strength and modulus, respectively, for a 30 wt % hemp fibre-reinforced HDPE.


2013 ◽  
Vol 652-654 ◽  
pp. 15-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xia Ran Miao ◽  
Yuan Jiang Qi ◽  
Xiao Yun Li ◽  
Yu Zhu Wang ◽  
Xiao Long Li ◽  
...  

The high density polyethylene (HDPE) nanocomposites were prepared by melt mixing HDPE with multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). In this work, the morphological, nucleation, crystallization and mechanical properties of the HDPE nanocomposites were studied by scanning electron microscopy, different scanning calorimetry, small-angle X-ray scattering and tensile testing. It was found that the tensile strength and Young’s modulus is increased by 42.4% and 116.5% at 3.wt% MWCNT loading compared to the pure HDPE. According to SEM results combined with SAXS, well-defined nanohybird shish-kebab (NHSK) entities exist in the composites, and in the shish-kebab structures fibrillous carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) act as shish while HDPE lamellae act as kebab. The crystallization behavior, probed by DSC, suggests that MWCNTs have strong nucleation ability and shear stress plays an important role in polymer crystallization process. The mechanical properties demonstrated that the formation of the Shish-kebab structures improved the interfacial adhesion and brought obvious mechanical enhancement for the HDPE/MWCNTs nanocomposites.


2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihaela Cosnita ◽  
Cristina Cazan ◽  
Anca Duta

The paper investigates new composites fully based on wastes of polyethylene terephthalate, rubber, high-density polyethylene, and wood, aiming at multifunctional, environmental-friendly materials, for indoor and outdoor applications. The rubber: polyethylene terephthalate: high-density polyethylene: wood ratio and compression molding temperatures are optimized considering the output mechanical properties, focusing on increasing the waste polyethylene terephthalate content. To investigate the durability in the working conditions, the water-stable composites, with good tensile and compression strengths were exposed to surfactant systems, saline aerosols, and ultraviolet radiations. The results prove that surfactant immersion improves the interfaces and the mechanical properties and a pre-conditioning step involving the dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide surfactant is recommended, prior application. The interfaces and the bulk composites were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared, differential scanning calorimetry, contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, to identify the properties that influence the mechanical behavior and durability. The composites containing 30% of polyethylene terephthalate, obtained at 160℃ and 190℃ have a good combination of mechanical properties and durability that is enhanced by the plasticizing effect of water and surfactants. The compressive strength of the composite processed at 190℃ was 51.2 MPa and the value increased to 58.4 MPa after water immersion. The ultraviolet and saline exposure slightly diminished this effect; however, long time testing (120 h) ended up with values higher than those corresponding to the pristine composite: 55.3 MPa after ultraviolet and 57.1 MPa after saline exposure.


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