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. 2019 Sep 28;12(19):3189.
doi: 10.3390/ma12193189.

Hybrid Cellulose-Glass Fiber Composites for Automotive Applications

Cindu Annandarajah  1 , Amy Langhorst  2 , Alper Kiziltas  3 , David Grewell  4 , Deborah Mielewski  5 , Reza Montazami  6
Affiliations

Hybrid Cellulose-Glass Fiber Composites for Automotive Applications

Cindu Annandarajah et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

: In the recent years, automakers have been striving to improve the carbon footprint of their vehicles. Sustainable composites, consisting of natural fibers, and/or recycled polymers have been developed as a way to increase the "green content" and reduce the weight of a vehicle. In addition, recent studies have found that the introduction of synthetic fibers to a traditional fiber composite such as glass filled plastics, producing a composite with multiple fillers (hybrid fibers), can result in superior mechanical properties. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of hybrid fibers on characterization and material properties of polyamide-6 (PA6)/polypropylene (PP) blends. Cellulose and glass fibers were used as fillers and the mechanical, water absorption, and morphological properties of composites were evaluated. The addition of hybrid fibers increased the stiffness (tensile and flexural modulus) of the composites. Glass fibers reduced composite water absorption while the addition of cellulose fibers resulted in higher composite stiffness. The mechanical properties of glass and cellulose filled PA6/PP composites were optimized at loading levels of 15 wt% glass and 10 wt% cellulose, respectively.

Keywords: automotive; cellulose; compatibilizer; composites; glass fiber; hybrid fibers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Tensile strength and elongation at maximum load of unfilled polymer blends and cellulose + glass fiber hybrid reinforced composites.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flexural and impact strength of unfilled polymer blends and cellulose and glass fiber reinforced composites.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Young’s modulus and flexural modulus of unfilled polymer blends and cellulose and glass fiber reinforced composites.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Water absorption of unfilled polymer blends and cellulose and glass fiber reinforced composites.
Figure 5
Figure 5
SEM images of the fracture surfaces of (a) blend + 30% glass fiber; (b) blend + 30% cellulose fiber (circled); and (c,d) blend + 15% glass fiber + 10% cellulose fiber at 150× and 500× respectively.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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