Skip to Main Content
-
Impact toughness of cellulose-fiber reinforced polypropylene : influence of microstructure in laminates and injection molded composites
Author(s): Craig Clemons; Daniel Caulfield; A. Jeffrey Giacomin
Date: 2003
Source: Seventh International Conference on Woodfiber-Plastic Composites (and other natural fibers), May 19-20, 2003 ... Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Madison, WI : Forest Products Society, 2003: Pages 119-125
Publication Series: Miscellaneous Publication
PDF: Download Publication (639 KB)Description
Unlike their glass reinforced counterparts, microstructure and dynamic fracture behavior of natural fiber-reinforced thermoplastics have hardly been investigated. Here, we characterize the microstructure of cellulose fiber-reinforced polypropylene and determined its effect on impact toughness. Fiber lengths were reduced by one-half when compounded in a high-intensity thermokinetic mixer and then injection molded. At low fiber contents, injection molded specimens showed little fiber orientation; at high fiber contents, a layered structure arose exhibiting differing fiber orientations through the specimen thickness. To better control composite microstructure and understand its influence on impact toughness, model laminates containing aligned fibers were produced and tested. Instrumented Charpy impact tests were performed and analyzed using linear elastic fracture mechanics. Dynamic critical energy release rates and dynamic critical stress intensity factors increased with cellulose content and with orientation of fibers perpendicular to the crack plane. Preliminary evaluation of a simple model relating the microstructure to the dynamic fracture toughness for both injection molded composites and laminates showed promise.Publication Notes
- We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
- This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.
Citation
Clemons, Craig; Caulfield, Daniel; Giacomin, A. Jeffrey. 2003. Impact toughness of cellulose-fiber reinforced polypropylene : influence of microstructure in laminates and injection molded composites. Seventh International Conference on Woodfiber-Plastic Composites (and other natural fibers), May 19-20, 2003 ... Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Madison, WI : Forest Products Society, 2003: Pages 119-125Keywords
Cellulose-fiber reinforced polypropylene, impact toughness, injection molded composites, microstructure, laminates, polypropyleneRelated Search
- Dynamic fracture toughness of cellulose-fiber-reinforced polypropylene : preliminary investigation of microstructural effects
- Investigation of fiber tilt in paperboard
- Tensile properties of wood flour/kenaf fiber polypropylene hybrid composites
XML: View XML
Show More
Show Fewer
https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/7438