Stiffness of bio-based polyamide 11 reinforced with softwood stone ground-wood fibres as an alternative to polypropylene-glass fibre composites

Published Date
European Polymer Journal
November 2016, Vol.84:481–489, doi:10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2016.09.062

• Author 

• H. Oliver-Ortega ^a,,
• L.A. Granda ^a
• F.X. Espinach ^b
• M. Delgado-Aguilar ^a
• J. Duran ^c
• P. Mutjé^a

• aGroup LEPAMAP, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Girona, C/M. Aurèlia Capmany, n°61, Girona 17003, Spain
• bDesign, Development and Product Innovation, Dpt. of Organization, Business Management and Product Design, University of Girona, C/M. Aurèlia Capmany, n°61, Girona 17003, Spain
• cChemistry Department, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi S-N, Girona 17003, Spain

Received 18 August 2016. Revised 26 September 2016. Accepted 29 September 2016. Available online 30 September 2016. 

Highlights

• •
  Totally bio-based composite materials were successfully obtained and injected.
• •
  PA11-SGW composites achieved the stiffness and deformation at break of PP-GF composites.
• •
  PA11-SGW composites could be a greener alternative to PP-GF composites.

Abstract

Polyolefin had been successfully reinforced with glass fibres and applied in the industry during the last decades. However there are unsolved processability and recyclability problems due to its fragility. There are also concerns related with the human health. This had promoted the interest towards more environmentally friendly and healthier reinforcements such as natural fibres. In addition, the oil origin of polyolefin increases the interest in researching greener polymer alternatives. This work proposes polyamide 11 (PA11) as a promising alternative to polypropylene or other commodity polyolefin. This paper studies the behaviour of the Young’s modulus of natural fibre reinforced PA11 composites at different fibre contents. The composites were prepared, injection molded and characterized to tensile modulus. Afterwards a micromechanical modelling was performed using two models: Hirsch’s and Tsai-Pagano’s. The results allow proposing natural fibre reinforced PA11 composites as a suitable replacement to glass fibre reinforced polypropylene composites.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

• Biopolymers
• Biocomposites
• Natural fibre reinforcements
• Stiffness
• Micromechanics

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• ⁎ 
  Corresponding author.

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