Mechanical and tribological properties of hemp and glass fiber hybrid reinforced plant-derived polyamide 1010 biomass composites

This study aimed to experimentally investigate the mechanical and tribological properties of hemp fiber and glass fiber hybrid reinforced plant-derived polyamide 1010 (PA1010) biomass composites. Plant-derived PA1010 was used as the matrix polymer, and hemp fiber (HF) and glass fiber (GF) were used as the reinforcement fibers. HFs were surface-treated in two-steps using alkaline solution of sodium chlorite and a coupling agent of ureidosilane. HF/GF/PA1010 hybrid biomass composites were melt-mixed using a twin screw extruder and injection-molded using an injection machine. The dynamic viscoelastic, tensile, and tribological properties of these biomass composites were evaluated. Tensile and tribological properties did not improve notably for HF/GF/PA1010 (15/5/80 vol.%) hybrid biomass composites. In contrast, the combined use of HF and GF was found to be significantly effective for improving flow processability.