Examine the static and dynamic mechanical properties of alkali-treated Cannabis sativa plant fiber-reinforced composites

The agriculture plant Cannabis sativa (hemp) is used to create composite panels for the automotive industry because of its high strength-to-weight ratio. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of fiber length (10–30 mm), content (10–30 wt%), and alkali treatment (3%) on the mechanical properties of these hemp/vinyl ester composites. Tensile, flexural, impact, and hardness tests, dynamic mechanical analysis, as well as tribology behavior, were performed on the untreated and alkali-treated hemp/vinyl ester composites. The band around 3100–3700 cm −1 in NaOH-treated hemp-reinforced composites can be attributed to hydrogen-bonded OH stretching vibrations from the chemically bonded OH groups of the cellulose structure. So, the crystallinity of NaOH-treated hemp was increased when compared with untreated hemp fiber composites. The mechanical properties were increased by increasing the fiber content to 30 wt% and the length to 30 mm. Because of the alkali treatment, the transition peak occurred in the range of 73 to 135 °C for untreated and 80 to 1350 °C for alkali-treated composites. In tribological experiments, the applied load influenced the coefficient of friction (COF), followed by its fiber content. However, the synergistic effect of sliding distance and fiber length has resulted in a decreased wear rate. These findings suggest that hemp fiber has the potential to be employed as a reinforcing material in a variety of structural and non-structural applications.