Preparation and Characterization of the Injection Molded Polymer Composites Based on Natural/Synthetic Fiber Reinforcement

Hybrid composites prepared for the purpose of this research were manufactured with the use of injection molding technique, the utilization of one step processing methodology was the main subject of the presented work. Matrix polymer used for this study was high density polyethylene, obtained from the recycling process of rotational molded parts. The mixture of natural and synthetic fibers was applied as the composite reinforcement. The natural fibers in the form of wood flour was obtained from the conifer tree wastes, while two types of bicomponent fibers were used as a second type of reinforcement. First type of synthetic fibers was made from polyolefin based polymers, and consist HDPE and PP resin, second one was produced from thermoplastic polyesters LPET and PET. The composites were obtained during one step melt processing on the injection molding machine. In order to evaluate the reinforcing efficiency and the overall performance of the developed composites, static and dynamic mechanical properties of the prepared samples were examined. Analytical thermal analysis tests were performed with the use of DSC and DMTA method, while the structure of the composites was investigated using SEM methodology. The results of the research confirm the reinforcing effect of the used hybrid system, which considering the waste nature of the used materials, may be one of the effective methods of waste management in the textile industry.