EFFECT OF NATURAL FIBER SURFACE TREATMENT ON THERMAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF BAGASSE AND NYLON 11 COMPOSITES

摘要

Natural fiber-reinforced thermoplastics are limited due to the potential of fiber degradation at high temperatures. This is the main reason for the usage of low temperature commodity thermoplastics by most workers as the matrix for natural fiber composites although many agree that these composites would end up exhibiting inferior properties. It is therefore desirable that engineering thermoplastics be used as matrices for natural fibers due to their inherently superior mechanical and thermal properties. In this study, polyamide 11 (PAH) was reinforced with bagasse fiber. These fibers were treated with flexible epoxy for improved thermal resistance. The thermal degradation resistance of the fibers was improved by epoxy treatment although the mechanical properties of the composites were investigated by flexural test and tensile test. The bagasse fibers improve the thermal and mechanical properties of PA11.