PMID- 37514525
OWN - NLM
STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE
LR  - 20230801
IS  - 2073-4360 (Electronic)
IS  - 2073-4360 (Linking)
VI  - 15
IP  - 14
DP  - 2023 Jul 24
TI  - Methodologies to Evaluate the Micromechanics Flexural Strength Properties of 
      Natural-Fiber-Reinforced Composites: The Case of Abaca-Fiber-Reinforced Bio 
      Polyethylene Composites.
LID - 10.3390/polym15143137 [doi]
LID - 3137
AB  - There is growing emphasis on developing green composites as a substitute for 
      oil-based materials. In the pursuit of studying and enhancing the mechanical 
      properties of these composites, tensile tests are predominantly employed, often 
      overlooking the flexural properties. This study focuses on researching the 
      flexural properties of abaca-fiber-reinforced bio-based high-density polyethylene 
      (BioPE) composites. Specifically, composites containing 30 wt% of abaca fiber 
      (AF) were treated with a coupling agent based on polyethylene functionalized with 
      maleic acid (MAPE). The test results indicate that incorporating 8 wt% of the 
      coupling agent significantly improved the flexural strength of the composites. 
      Thereafter, composites with AF content ranging from 20 to 50 wt% were produced 
      and subjected to flexural testing. It was observed that flexural strength was 
      positively correlated with AF content. A micromechanics analysis was conducted to 
      evaluate the contributions of the phases. This analysis involved assessing the 
      mechanical properties of both the reinforcement and matrix to facilitate the 
      modeling of flexural strength. The findings of this study demonstrate the 
      feasibility of replacing oil-based matrices, such as high-density polyethylene 
      (HDPE), with fully bio-based composites that exhibit comparable flexural 
      properties to their oil-based counterparts.
FAU - Seculi, Faust
AU  - Seculi F
AD  - LEPAMAP-PRODIS Research Group, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain.
FAU - Julian, Fernando
AU  - Julian F
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0003-3230-0588
AD  - LEPAMAP-PRODIS Research Group, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain.
FAU - Llorens, Joan
AU  - Llorens J
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0003-3766-898X
AD  - CATS Research Group, Department of Architecture and Construction Engineering, 
      University of Girona, Avda M feminine Aurelia Capmany 61, 17071 Girona, Spain.
FAU - Espinach, Francisco X
AU  - Espinach FX
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0002-6635-0260
AD  - LEPAMAP-PRODIS Research Group, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain.
FAU - Mutje, Pere
AU  - Mutje P
AD  - LEPAMAP-PRODIS Research Group, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain.
FAU - Tarres, Quim
AU  - Tarres Q
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0002-7021-2055
AD  - LEPAMAP-PRODIS Research Group, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20230724
PL  - Switzerland
TA  - Polymers (Basel)
JT  - Polymers
JID - 101545357
PMC - PMC10385690
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - bio-based polymers
OT  - flexural strength
OT  - intrinsic properties
OT  - natural fibers
COIS- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
EDAT- 2023/07/29 11:52
MHDA- 2023/07/29 11:53
PMCR- 2023/07/24
CRDT- 2023/07/29 01:41
PHST- 2023/07/03 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2023/07/17 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2023/07/19 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2023/07/29 11:53 [medline]
PHST- 2023/07/29 11:52 [pubmed]
PHST- 2023/07/29 01:41 [entrez]
PHST- 2023/07/24 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - polym15143137 [pii]
AID - polymers-15-03137 [pii]
AID - 10.3390/polym15143137 [doi]
PST - epublish
SO  - Polymers (Basel). 2023 Jul 24;15(14):3137. doi: 10.3390/polym15143137.