Effect of two different nonwoven manufacturing method on mechanical properties of nonwoven polyolofin and natural flax/jute reinforced hybrid composites

The present study is focused on the analysis of the effect of hybridization and the effect of two different manufacturing methods for nonwoven polymer matrix on the mechanical properties of natural fiber-reinforced hybrid composites. Natural fiber-reinforced hybrid composite samples with polymer matrix were manufactured and mechanical properties were investigated. Reinforcement materials were jute and flax, matrix polymers were polyethylene films and nonwovens made of polypropylene. PP nonwovens were manufactured by two different method which were meltblown and spunbond. Several densities of nonwovens were used for reliable experiment results and also effect of different mass/area ratio nonwovens on mechanical properties of composite material was investigated. The surface of jute and flax reinforcements has been modified by alkali treatment in order to enhance the compatibility with the matrix. Experimental tensile, flexural and impact tests were performed according to ASTM and DIN standards to characterize the new intralaminar hybrid composites. Finally, a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the fracture surface of the tested specimens. The results indicates that the composite samples increase the strength compared to pure HDPE. However, the comparison of composite samples among themselves shows that hybrid composites by Spunbond nonwoven method are more durable and stable than those produced by Meltblown. In addition, it was observed that the weight difference caused an inversely proportional effect in the SB samples, but it was not a distinguishing feature in the MB samples.