Forest Products Laboratory

Title: Instrumented impact testing of kenaf fiber reinforced polypropylene composites: effects of temperature and composition

Author: Clemons, Craig Merrill; Sanadi, Anand R.

Date: 2007

Source: Journal of reinforced plastics and composites. Vol. 26, no. 15 (2007): Pages 1587-1602.

Description: An instrumented Izod test was used to investigate the effects of fiber content, coupling agent, and temperature on the impact performance of kenaf fiber reinforced polypropylene (PP). Composites containing 0-60% (by weight) kenaf fiber and 0 or 2% maleated polypropylene (MAPP) and PP/wood flour composites were tested at room temperature and between -50 °C and +50 °C. At room temperature, kenaf greatly reduced energy to maximum load (EML) in reversed notch tests but had little effect in notched tests. MAPP improved all test values. At -25 °C, PP specimens changed from ductile to brittle. Kenaf composites containing MAPP consistently yielded higher EML values than did both unfilled PP specimens and wood flour composites in notched impact tests, over the temperature range investigated. The EML values for kenaf composites were about half those for unfilled PP specimens in reversed notch tests at room temperature, but performance was similar at low temperatures.

Keywords: Impact, polypropylene, kenaf, natural fibers, thermoplastic composites, impact testing, fiber-reinforced plastics, wood flour, wood-plastic composites, mechanical properties, composite materials, chemical composition, plant fibers, temperature, influences, tensile strength, strength, durability, wood-plastic materials, coupling agents, Izod test

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Citation

Clemons, Craig Merrill; Sanadi, Anand R.  2007.  Instrumented impact testing of kenaf fiber reinforced polypropylene composites: effects of temperature and composition.   Journal of reinforced plastics and composites. Vol. 26, no. 15 (2007): Pages 1587-1602..