Hygrothermal aging effects on mechanical behaviors of a short natural-fiber-reinforced composite
Khamchane Abdelkader (1)*, Toubal Lotfi (2), Cuillière Jean-christophe (3), Vincent François (4)
(1) Laboratory LMEM, Équipe de Recherche ERRICA, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières - Trois-Rivières - Canada, (2) Laboratory of Mechanics and Eco-Materials LMEM, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières - Trois-Rivières - Canada, (3) Équipe de Recherche en Intégration Cao-CAlcul ERRICA, UQTR - Trois-Rivières - Canada, (4) Équipe de Recherche en Intégration Cao-CAlcul, UQTR - Trois-Rivières - Canada
This paper focuses on investigating the effect of hydrothermal ageing on the mechanical properties of two short natural fiber composites (NFC) made of high density polyethylene (HDPE), maleic anhydride polyethylene copolymer (MAPE) associated respectively with different percentage of Kraft fiber and softwood fiber. The ageing procedure is performed by immersion in distilled water at different temperatures (20°c, 60°c). The influence of the presence of lignin in natural fibers, the percentage of fiber and distilled water temperature are studied and analyzed. The effects of these parameters on the mechanical behavior of studied NFC are analyzed. Results obtained with aged composites are reported and compared with unaged specimens.