Enhancement of Mechanical Behavior of PLA Matrix Using Tamarind and Date Seed Micro Fillers

Abstract

This paper reports the mechanical properties of PLA composites incorporated with tamarind and date seed Micro fillers. The composites were manufactured through compression molding technique. The tensile results showed that the seed filler reinforcement has significantly improved the tensile strength of PLA matrix. The particulate reinforcements of both tamarind and palm almost doubled the flexural and impact strength of PLA matrix. Moreover, the date seed powder incorporated composites showed 34.68% improvement in micro hardness but the tamarind seed powder composite showed only marginal improvement (9.82%) when compared with neat PLA. Furthermore, the outcomes revealed that the wt.% of fillers play a noteworthy role in deciding the properties of the PLA composites.

Keywords

• natural fibers
• pla composites
• date: tamarind
• mechanical properties
• bio-composites