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Title: ANALYSIS OF FLAX AND COTTON FIBER FABRIC BLENDS AND RECYCLED POLYETHYLENE COMPOSITES

Author
item Foulk, Jonn
item CHAO, WAYNE - CLEMSON UNIV.
item Akin, Danny
item DODD, ROY - CLEMSON UNIV.
item LAYTON, PATRICIA - CLEMSON UNIV.

Submitted to: Polymers and the Environment
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/22/2005
Publication Date: 1/5/2006
Citation: Foulk, J.A., Chao, W.Y., Akin, D.E., Dodd, R.B., Layton, P.A. 2006. Analysis of flax and cotton fiber fabric blends and recycled polyethylene composites. Polymers and the Environment. 14(1):15-25.

Interpretive Summary: COTTON AND FLAX FIBER RECYCLED HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (HDPE) COMPOSITES WERE EASILY PREPARED THROUGH COMPRESSION MOLDING USING A TEXTILE PREFORM. THESE HDPE COMPOSITES WERE FORMED WITH VARIOUS LEVELS OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE COTTON AND FLAX BLENDED TWILL WEAVE DENIM FABRIC. INCORPORATING NATURAL FIBERS IN PLASTICS PROVIDES REINFORCEMENT AND COULD LESSEN PROBLEMS WITH THE DISPOSAL OF LARGE QUANTITIES OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE. TO INVESTIGATE THE UTILITY OF THESE MATERIALS, COMPOSITES WERE CREATED. COMPARED TO RECYCLED HDPE, THESE COMPOSITE MATERIALS DEMONSTRATED INCREASES IN MECHANICAL PROPERTIES.

Technical Abstract: MANUFACTURING COMPOSITIES WITH POLYMERS AND NATURAL FIBERS HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN PERFORMED USING CHOPPED FIBERS OR A NONWOVEN MAT FOR REINFORCEMENT. FIBERS FROM FLAX (LINUM USITATISSIMUM L.) ARE STIFF AND STRONG AND CAN BE PROCESSED INTO A YARN AND THEN MANUFACTURED INTO A FABRIC FOR COMPOSITE FORMATION. FABRIC DIRECTLY IMPACTS THE COMPOSITE BECAUSE IT CONTAINS VARIOUS FIBER TYPES VIA FIBER OR YARN BLENDING, FIBER LENGTH IS OFTEN LONGER DUE TO REQUIREMENTS IN YARN FORMATION, AND IT CONTROLS THE FIBER ALIGNMENT VIA WEAVING. COMPOSITES CREATED WITH COTTON AND FLAX-CONTAINING COMMERCIAL FABRICS AND RECYCLED HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (HDPE) WERE EVALUATED FOR PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES. FLAX FIBER/RECYCLED HDPE COMPOSITES WERE EASILY PREPARED THROUGH COMPRESSION MOLDING USING A TEXTILE PREFORM. THIS METHOD TAKES ADVANTAGE OF MAINTAINING COTTON AND FLAX FIBER LENGTHS THAT ARE FORMED INTO A YARN (A CONTINUOUS PACKAGE OF SHORT FIBERS) AND ORIENTED IN A BIDIRECTIONAL WOVEN FABRIC. FABRICS WERE TREATED WITH MALEIC ANHYDRIDE, SILANE, ENZYME, OR ADDING MALEIC ANHYDRIDE GRAFTED POLYETHYLENE (MAA-PE; MDEX 102-1; Exxelor VA 1840) TO PROMOTE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN POLYMER AND FIBERS. STRAIGHT AND STRONG FLAX FIBERS PRESENT PROBLEMS BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT BOUND AS TIGHTLY WITHIN YARNS PRODUCING WEAKER AND LESS ELASTIC YARNS THAT CONTAIN LARGER DIAMETER VARIATIONS. AS THE BLEND PERCENTAGE AND MASS OF FLAX FIBERS INCREASES THE FABRIC STRENGTH, AND ELONGATION GENERALLY DECREASE IN VALUE. COMPARED TO RECYCLED HDPE, MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS (CONTAINING BIODEGRADABLE AND RENEWABLE RESOURCES) DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN TENSILE STRENGTH (1.4 TO 3.2 TIMES STRONGER) AND MODULUS OF ELASTICITY (1.4 AND 2.3 TIMES LARGER). ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO IMPROVE COMPOSITE BINDING CHARACTERISTICS BY ALLOWING THE STRONGER FLAX FIBERS IN FABRIC TO CARRY THE COMPOSITES LOAD.