Elaboration and Characterization of Flax Fiber Reinforced High Density Polyethylene Biocomposite: Effect of the Heating Rate on Thermo-mechanical Properties

Abstract

In this study, biocomposites of HDPE/flax fibers in different formulations were developed and their tensile, 3-point bending, and morphological properties were extensively characterized. The interfacial bond in the fractured biocomposite samples was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). While the thermal behavior of these novel HDPE/flax biocomposites was studied using DSC and ATG. The ratio of tested reinforcement by weight varies from 5% to 20% of natural flax fiber with different heating rates, namely 5°C/min, 10°C/min, and 20°C/min. The results for the mechanical properties obtained such as the tensile and flexural strength revealed an increase of 24 to 35 MPa and 15.82 to 19.72 MPa, respectively, compared to neat HDPE. On the other hand, the thermal tests revealed that the heating rate has a pronounced effect on the thermal behavior of the materials studied by shifting the degradation range of biocomposites to high temperatures.

Keywords

• flax fiber
• hdpe biocomposite
• dsc
• tga
• heating rate
• mechanical properties