Effects of Ramie Fiber Treatment on Thermo-Oxidative Properties of High-Density Polyethylene/Ramie Fiber Composites
On the investigations on the flexural properties,color stability and melting properties,the effects of treating ramie fiber with silane coupling agent on the anti-thermo-oxidative aging properties of high density polyethylene(HDPE)/ ramie fiber composites were studied.The results show that,treating the fiber with 3% coupling agent can improve the flexural strength and modulus of the composites before the aging test by 15.9% and 21.7% respectively,and also it can improve the flexural properties of the composites after the aging test;the modified composites will be more color stable,less color difference,and less disminish of the color during the aging test;the peak melting temperatures of the modified composites when aged for 0,500,1000,1500 and 3000h will be increased by 0.6,0.2, 0.5,2.3 and 3.8 oC from those of the unmodified composites;the flexural properties,color stability and melting properties of HDPE / ramie fiber composites during thermo-oxidative aging tests all indicate that treating ramie fiber with coupling agent can improve the anti-thermo-oxidative properties of the composites.