The Influences of Compression Temperature on the Fiber Structure and Tensile Properties of Hemp Reinforced Polypropylene Composites
Résumé
In this work, polypropylene composites reinforced by woven hemp fiber were fabricated using compression molding. The effects of compression temperature, ranging from 160 °C to 200 oC, on the tensile properties of the resulted composites were studied. The tensile tests of neat woven hemp fiber heated under different temperatures (160-280 oC) were also performed. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to observe the fiber surface. The results showed that the tensile properties of the reinforced composites decreased with the increase of compression temperature, but a rise up to 40.31 MPa at 190 oC occurred. The tensile properties of the woven fibers decreased as the temperature increased, even a marked reduction at 220 oC. The SEM presents the fiber surface indicating the degradation of pectin or lignin on the fiber surface.