Evaluation of the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Polyethylene/Corn Stalk Fiber Composites Used in the Packaging Industry

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Wood Industry, Malayer Branch, Islamic Azad University, Malayer, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Wood Industry, Technical and Vocational University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Across the world, in an effort to reduce the use of plastic in packaging and its detrimental environmental impacts, innovative actions such as the production of composites are being undertaken. In this research, polyethylene was used as the polymer matrix, corn stalk fibers were used as the reinforcing agent, and maleic anhydride was used as a compatibilizer. The main objective of this study was to investigate the mechanical and physical properties of the produced composite material by varying the percentage and length of the corn stalk fibers. In this research, 20%, 30%, and 40% contents of corn stalk fibers were used in the composite product. Additionally, two different fiber length levels were tested, using mesh sizes of 40 and 80. Additionally, 5% of the compatibilizer maleic anhydride was also added to the product. The results have shown that the composite material with longer fiber lengths and higher fiber content (percentage) exhibited the highest moisture absorption. As the length of the fibers increased, the elongation or tensile strain of the samples decreased in the tensile strength tests. The findings show that longer fibers in the product increase the resistance to elongation or tensile deformation. In the flexural strength testing, increasing both the length and the percentage of the fibers led to an increase in the flexural modulus of the composite. The use of longer fibers and higher fiber content in the product leads to an increase in the flexural modulus of the composite. The results of this research show that varying the percentage and length of the corn stalk fibers in the polyethylene composite has a significant impact on the mechanical and physical properties of the material. Increasing the fiber length and percentage can improve moisture absorption and enhance resistance to dimensional and flexural changes in the composite.
 

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Packaging Science and Art
Volume 15, Issue 57 - Serial Number 57
Serial number 57, spring 2024
June 2024
Pages 13-19

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History

  • Receive Date: 11 February 2024
  • Revise Date: 04 March 2024
  • Accept Date: 14 May 2024
  • Publish Date: 09 June 2024

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