RICE STRAW/THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITE: EFFECT OF FILLER LOADING, POLYMER TYPE AND MOISTURE ABSORPTION ON THE PERFORMANCE
Main Article Content
Abstract
Thermoplastic composites made with 45, 60 and 75% of rice straw as filler and two types of thermoplastics, virgin polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) were evaluated. The final boards were made with and without maleic anhydride modified polypropylene (MAPP) at 2% of the total weight of each specimen. The flexural and tensile strengths were measured for dry composites and also measured after 24 h of water immersion of the composites (wet condition). By increasing the filler content, the flexural and tensile strengths and also the density of the specimens decreased. The type of matrix (PE or PP) did not affect significantly the flexural strength, but PP led to higher values of tensile strength for low fiber loadings (45% and 60%). Coupling agents increased the flexural and tensile strength. After water immersion, modulus of elasticity and modulus of rupture were decreased, while tensile strength was less influenced.
Article Details
Issue
Section
Article
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: a) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication (original form ); b ) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post and share their work online (e.g. in institutional repositories or on their website).