Title: Short Milkweed Floss Fiber as Efficient Natural Reinforcement for Polymeric Materials

Authors: Pierre Ovlaque, Marie Bayart, Saïd Elkoun, and Mathieu Robert

DOI: 10.33599/nasampe/c.19.0729

Abstract: Commodity polyolefins and polyamides, such as polypropylene (PP) and PA6, show a high enhancement of their stiffness when reinforced with synthetic fibers, and are, nowadays, widely used in many sectors, such as automotive. PP and PA6 being obtained from nonrenewable sources, users turn their attention towards environment friendly polymers, such as green polyamide 11 (PA11). Ultralight milkweed floss (MW) is a natural fiber that can be efficiently used as polymer reinforcement in lieu of typical synthetic fibers requiring a high energy consumption for their production. This paper reports the mechanical behavior of PA11- and PP-based composites reinforced with MW fibers, as well as their compatibility at the interface, which is investigated via single fiber fragmentation tests (SFFT). Amine and carboxyl groups of PA11 interact with the numerous hydroxyl groups located at the MW surface, leading to a strong interface, as compared as PP/MW composites, which present interfacial debonding. The critical length of fibers was also calculated for the different composites. Because of the good affinity of PA11, the value of the critical length of MW fiber was smaller for the PA11/MW system (85 µm) than for the PP/MW, which presents a poor cohesion (335 µm). The addition of 2.5 wt.% MW in PA11 increases the Young’s modulus by 29%, and only by 4% in PP/MW composite.

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Conference: CAMX 2019

Publication Date: 2019/09/23

SKU: TP19-0729

Pages: 12

Price: $24.00