Investigation on mechanical properties of flax fiber/expanded polystyrene waste composites

The current research has come from the deep concern for the sustainability of the environment in terms of waste disposal and producing bio-based materials. In this way, the developed composite materials made from flax fiber reinforced with expanded polystyrene wastes are low-cost, lightweight, eco-friendly and will be reduced environmental pollution. In this paper, alkali-treated short flax fiber reinforced expanded polystyrene (FFEPS) composites were developed to characterize mechanical and water absorption properties. The expanded polystyrene wastes from packages were dissolved in gasoline to prepare the matrix. Short flax fibers extracted from the plants were treated in 5% NaOH solution to improve fiber/matrix bond. The tests were accompanied by a fiber weight of 20, 30 and 40%. The influence of fiber content on various properties such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural, impact strengths and water absorption properties of the composites were evaluated. Samples are prepared as per respective ASTM standards. The result revealed that both tensile, bending, and impact strength were maximum at 30% of fiber weight fraction. The maximum tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural and impact strengths were noted as 25.28 MPa, 3.105 GPa, 41.27Mpa and 8.33 J/cm(2) and respectively at 30% of FFEPS composite. The composite with 30% fiber content gave higher results and the developed composite can be used for automobile interior panels and for housing panels, etc. Also, the FFEPS composite was prepared from expanded polystyrene waste and available flax fibers thus the material is recycled at the end of its life.