Title
Investigation on thermal behavior of alkali and benzoyl treated hemp fiber reinforced cellulose filled epoxy hybrid green composites
Authors
P. ANAND and V. ANBUMALAR

Received October 23, 2014
Published Volume 51 Issue 1-2 January-February
Keywords hybrid green composites, thermal properties, thermogravimetric analysis, heat deflection temperature, surface treatments of fibers

Abstract
Natural fibers have recently become an affordable alternative to glass fiber reinforced thermoplastics used for reinforcement in the automotive industry. This research is focused on developing and evaluating the thermal behaviors of eco-friendly cellulose filled epoxy hybrid composites reinforced with treated hemp fibers for automotive applications. The thermal behavior of cellulose filled epoxy hybrid composites reinforced with hemp fibers was studied by means of thermogravimetric analysis, linear coefficient of thermal expansion, thermal conductivity and heat deflection temperature. The thermal stability of the composites was found to be higher than that of other natural fiber reinforced composites. The effects of fiber loading, fiber length, fiber orientation and fiber modification on the thermal properties of the composites were evaluated. Fiber modifications were achieved by benzoylation and alkalization to improve the fiber -matrix adhesion. The addition of cellulose powder considerably increased the thermal stability. The treated-fiber composites showed better properties than those of untreated-fiber composites.