Novel Method for Producing Natural Fiber Reinforced Composites with High Melting Temperature Thermoplastics

摘要

Until this day, the matrix materials chosen for natural fiber reinforced composites has been confined to only a few types of polyolefms and other thermoplastics of relatively low melting or softening temperatures since the fibers are unable to withstand high processing temperatures. This significantly reduces the choice of materials and limits the application of natural fiber reinforced composites in many engineering fields. Therefore, this study involves the development of a novel injection molding process, i.e. textile insert molding, which is able to combine natural fiber reinforcements with engineering thermoplastics at high processing temperatures. This method is able to prevent substantial degradation of the natural fiber, thus widening the choice of matrix materials. Laminated composites with sandwich structures can also be prepared, which proves the robustness of this technology. The mechanical and structural properties of the composites were examined and discussed.