Compression Properties of Two Novel Natural Luffa Mattress Filling Materials

Abstract

Luffa is expected to become a substitute for mattress filling materials due to its natural biodegradability, light texture, good air permeability, higher water absorption, and desorption. In this paper, two-variety luffa cylinders (LCs) as mattress filling materials were investigated. The results showed that the compressive strength and plateau stress of both the high-density and low-density LCs significantly related to their density. However, the compressive strength and plateau stress of the high-density LCs were about 3 times that of the low-density LCs, while the firmness of the high-density luffa mattresses was no more than 3 times that of the low-density luffa mattresses. Furthermore, the compression treatment of the LCs has a great effect on the firmness of the luffa mattresses. The compressive treatment of the LCs to the densification stage increased the Dcore of the low-density luffa mattresses but decreased the Dcore of the high-density luffa mattress. The firmness of the low-density luffa mattress was lower than that of 3D jute, carvel jute, and palm mattresses.

Keywords

• mattress
• luffa cylinders
• cushioning materials
• support performance
• repetitive loading
• structure