The Influences of Fibre Parameters on the Tensile and Flexural Response of Lightweight Thermoplastic Kenaf Fibre Reinforced Metal Composites

ABSTRACT

The increasing demand for high performance and lightweight materials has stimulated the development of alternative materials, namely fiber metal laminates (FMLs). FML is a sandwich structure which is formed by bonding the metallic layers with composite as core constituent using an adhesive agent. In this study, the mechanical behavior of FMLs with the core constituents of environmental friendly kenaf bast fiber reinforced polypropylene composites bonded with aluminum skin layers was investigated. The effects of fiber compositions (50, 60, and 70 wt.%), fiber lengths (30, 60, 90 mm), and alkali treatment on the mechanical responses of FML were investigated. The overall results revealed that the increase of fiber composition and fiber length reduces the mechanical strength of FML owing to the agglomeration of natural fibers when the fiber length exceeds the critical limit. However, the chemical treated kenaf bast fiber reinforced FML showed a significant enhancement of the mechanical properties in comparison to the non-treated fiber reinforced FML owing to the improved fiber-matrix adhesion level.

摘要

对高性能和轻质材料的日益增长的需求刺激了替代材料，即纤维金属层压板（FML）的发展。纤维金属层压板是通过使用粘合剂将金属层与作为核心成分的复合材料粘合而形成的夹层结构。在本研究中，纤维金属层合板的力学性能与环境友好的KeaFasBT纤维增强聚丙烯复合材料与铝皮层结合的研究。纤维组成（50,60和70重量%），纤维长度（30,60,90毫米）和碱处理对纤维金属层合板的机械响应的影响进行了研究。结果表明，当纤维长度超过临界值时，由于天然纤维的团聚，纤维成分和纤维长度的增加降低了纤维金属层压板的机械强度。然而，化学处理的红麻纤维增强纤维金属层压板显示出与未处理的纤维增强纤维金属层压板相比，由于改善的纤维基体粘附水平，机械性能显著提高。

KEYWORDS:

• Fiber metal laminates
• thermoplastic
• kenaf fibers
• mechanical properties
• chemical treatment

关键词:

• 纤维金属层压板
• 热塑性塑料
• 红麻纤维
• 力学性能
• 化学处理

Acknowledgments

Authors would like to thank Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka for the continuous support on this research project. Authors would also wish to express their gratitude toward Skim Zamalah UTeM provided by Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka and grant FRGS/1/2017/STG07/FKM-CARE/F00339 from Ministry of Education Malaysia.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka [Skim Zamalah UTeM];Ministry of Education Malaysia [FRGS/1/2017/STG07/FKM-CARE/F00339].