Enhancing properties of dissolution compounded Miscanthus giganteus reinforced polymer composite systems: Part 1. Improving flexural rigidity

Natural fibre-reinforced polymer composites have found increased favour of late, particularly within the automotive industry where Kenaf is often used alongside flax, hemp and jute as a reinforcement for car panels door trims and parcel shelves, for example. By developing viable composites from alternative materials grown in the UK (i.e. Miscanthus), it is hoped to increase financial opportunities for farmers within this country who are either currently growing Miscanthus for biomass or who wish to diversify from more traditional hemp farming.The purpose of this work is to determine the suitability of Miscanthus fibres as a reinforcement in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) when dissolution blended and injection moulded. The formulation and processing parameters were altered and a design of experiments methodology was employed in order to determine whether the variation of factors led to improved performance. This paper focuses upon the research into improvements of flexural properties of the composite material produced, and then establishes the optimum processing conditions for maximum flexural performance.