Composites Part B 133 (2018) 210e217

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Composites Part B
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/compositesb

Influence of chemical treatments on mechanical properties of hemp

fiber reinforced composites
R. Sepe a, *, F. Bollino b, L. Boccarusso a, F. Caputo b
a
Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, P.le V. Tecchio, 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
b  della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Roma, 29, 81031 Aversa, Italy
Department of Industrial and Information Engineering, Universita

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Natural Fibers Reinforced Composites (NFRC) are finding much interest as a substitute for glass or carbon
Received 13 August 2017 reinforced polymer composites, like for instance automobile interior linings (roof, rear wall, side panel
Received in revised form lining), shipping pallets, construction products (i.e. composite roof tiles), furniture and household
29 August 2017
products (i.e. storage containers, window and picture frames as well as food service trays, toys and flower
Accepted 15 September 2017
Available online 20 September 2017
pots) as well as fan houses and blades.
However, a notable disadvantage of lignocellulosic fibers as reinforcements is their polarity which
makes it incompatible with hydrophobic thermoplastic matrix. This incompatibility results in poor
Keywords:
Mechanical properties
interfacial bonding between the fibers and the matrix. This in turn leads to impaired mechanical
Mechanical testing properties of the composites. This defect can be remedied by chemical modification of fibers so as to
Surface treatments make it less hydrophilic.
Hemp fibers In this paper experiments have been performed to further the development of natural fiber reinforced
composites. Untreated and treated surfaces of hemp fibers were characterized using Fourier Transform
Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).
Fiber-matrix adhesion was promoted by fiber surface modifications using an alkaline treatment and
(3-Glycidyloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane coupling agent. The mechanical behaviour of epoxy matrix
composite reinforced with woven hemp was studied and mechanical test results show that silane
treatment of hemp fibers improves, both tensile and flexural properties of the composites, although no
high values are obtained.
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction strength of natural fibers is substantially lower than that of glass

Natural fibers are increasingly being considered as an environ-
mentally friendly substitute for synthetic fibers in the reinforce-
ment of polymer based composites [1e6]. In fact these fibers are
already used instead of glass and carbon in some technical appli-
cations such as the automotive industry, where mechanical prop-
erties have to be combined with low weight.
Natural fibers can be sourced from plants, animals and minerals.
Generally, plant or vegetable fibers are used to reinforce polymer
matrices. In fact, plant fibers are a renewable resource and have the
ability to be recycled. The plant fibers leave little residue if they are
burned for disposal, returning less carbon dioxide (CO2) to the at-
mosphere than is removed during the plant's growth. Although the
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: raffsepe@unina.it (R. Sepe).
fibers the Young modulus is of the same order of magnitude.
However, when the specific modulus of natural fibers (modulus per
unit specific gravity) is considered, the natural fibers show values
that are comparable to or even better than glass fibers. Moreover
the price of natural fibers is about 70% lower than that of glass fi-
bers. Therefore natural fibers are very attractive reinforcement
materials for composites, as they are readily available, renewable,
cost effective, and have good specific properties. Hemp, flax, jute
and kenaf are called bast fibers. They have similar morphologies
and cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin are the basic components
of these natural fibers which govern the physical properties of fi-
bers and then properties of composite materials.
The adhesion plays an important role to transfer the stress from
the matrix to the fibers and thus contributes towards the properties
of the composites. Poor surface adhesion due to insufficient wetting
is the principal reason for the formation of a weak or ineffective
interface between the fiber and the matrix. Several studies [7e9]

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2017.09.030
1359-8368/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 R. Sepe et al. / Composites Part B 133 (2018) 210e217
reported that the main factor that limits the mechanical properties
of natural fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites is the chemical
incompatibility between the hydrophilic lignocellulosic molecules
of the natural fiber and the hydrophobic thermoplastic molecules.
On the other hand even if thermosets like epoxy and phenolic are
known to be able to form covalent cross-links with plant cell walls
via hydroxyl groups, due to the presence of unstable non cellulosic
components like hemicelluloses and lignin, composites with un-
treated natural fiber have performed lower mechanical properties.
In order to improve the necessary adhesion between fibers and
matrix several chemical treatments of the fibers can be used.
Alkaline treatment, silane treatment, benzoylation, use of
maleated coupling agents, peroxide treatment, acetylation, and
isocyanate treatment were considered [9e18].
Alkaline treatment involves immersing the fibers in an alkaline
solution (frequently an NaOH solution was used), for a period of
time. It is believed to work by increasing the surface roughness of
the fiber which improves the mechanical bonding.
Bachtiar et al. [19] studied the effect of alkaline treatment on
tensile properties of sugar palm fiber reinforced epoxy composites.
It was found that the alkaline treatment improve significantly the
tensile properties of sugar palm fiber reinforced epoxy composites
particularly for tensile modulus. The hydrophilic nature of sugar
palm fiber is reduced due to this treatment increasing the interfa-
cial bonding between matrix and fibers.
Silane treatment usually entails soaking the fibers in a solution
of a silane diluted in a water/alcohol mixture. In presence of water
the hydrolysis of the silane occurs which leads to the replacement
of the alkoxide groups with eOH groups and the formation of
silanol and alcohol. The silanol, in turn, reacts with the eOH groups
of the cellulose present in the cell walls of the natural fibers,
forming with it a stable covalent bonds.
Franco et al. [20,21] studied the mechanical behavior of high
density polyethylene (HDPE) reinforced with continuous henequen
fibers. It was found that the use of the silane coupling agent
improved the degree of fiber-matrix adhesion and then the
strength and stiffness of the composites. The flexural properties of
epoxy composites reinforced by flax fiber with silane treatment
was investigated [22] giving improved tensile strength and
modulus of the composites in both longitudinal and transverse
directions after the silane treatment. Rachini et al. [23] studied the
chemical modification of natural hemp fibers treated with two
organosilane coupling agents. The effect of the initial concentration
and the chemical structure of the organosilane on the grafting
quantity will also be discussed.
Kabir et al. [24] studied, the tensile properties of single hemp
fibres by taking into account, the variations in fibre diameters due
to alkali, acetyl and silane treatments' effects on the fibres with
respect to tensile properties are discussed. The relationship be-
tween tensile properties of the treated fibres and the variation of
their diameters were also studied.
Sullins et al. [25] studied the effects of the fiber chemical
treatment and/or polymer matrix treatment with coupling agent,
on the mechanical properties of the hemp fiber polypropylene
matrix composites, moreover the study of fiber length change
during the processing is also included.
The effects of alkali and silane treatments on tensile and flexural
properties of woven hemp reinforced epoxy composites are
investigated in the present study. All laminates were prepared by
Vacuum Infusion Process (VIP) in a mould at room temperature
thereby preventing degradation of the hemp fiber. For comparison
purposes, composites reinforced by untreated fibers were also
manufactured using the same process. Untreated and treated sur-
faces of hemp fibers were characterized using Fourier Transform
Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy
211
(SEM) in order to investigate the effect of the treatments on
chemistry and morphology of the fibres and, in turn, to identify a
relationship between the fibre structure and the mechanical
properties of the obtained composites.
2. Experimental methods
2.1. Materials
Woven hemp fabric with plain weave and having a count of
50
50 (50 yarns in warp and 50 yarns in weft direction per inch)
was used as reinforcement. The weight of the fabric used is
approximately 180 g/m2. An epoxy infusion resin Prime™ 20LV
produced by Gurit with density of 1.084 g/cm3 and tensile strength
of 73 MPa was used as matrix. This was used in conjunction with a
slow hardening agent, the weight ratio between mixing resin and
hardener being 100:26. Before any treatment the fabric was cut into
280
220 mm sheet having a weight of 11 g.
2.2. Fiber surface treatment
To improve adhesion between the reinforcement and matrix
resin, generally the fibers were subjected to chemical treatments
before to be used. Strongly polarized cellulose, indeed, are not
inherently compatible with the hydrophobic non-polar polymers
matrices. Also the poor resistance to moisture absorption makes
natural fibers less attractive for making composites to be used in
outdoor applications. The effects of surface treatment of natural
fibers on their properties are usually functions of type and con-
centration of the treatment solution used. In this paper two types of
chemical treatments with different concentrations are adopted to
modify the surface of the natural fibers and to improve interfacial
interactions between them and the matrix resin.
2.2.1. Alkali treatment
The major constituent of natural fibers is crystalline cellulose. It
also contains hemicelluloses, lignin and waxy substances. However,
lignin and hemicelluloses can degrade over time. Therefore, to in-
crease the long-term stability of NFRC and to improve interfacial
bonding, the alkali fiber treatments can be used. Hemicellulose,
which is thought to consist mainly of xylan, polyuronide and hex-
osan, is very sensitive to the action of caustic soda, which exerts
only a slight effect on a-cellulose. Therefore alkali fiber treatments
with NaOH can improve adhesion characteristics of natural fibers
by removing lignin, pectin, and hemicelluloses and thus providing
to the fiber surface a rough texture. The rough and clean fiber
surface facilitates mechanical interlocking and improves wetting
ability with the resin matrix. The main modification in this treat-
ment is the removal of hydrogen bonding in the network structure
[26]. The reaction that takes place as a result of alkali treatment is
following
Fiber  OH þ NaOH/Fiber  O Naþ þ H2 O: (1)
To evaluate the effect of the sodium hydroxide solution con-
centration, the hemp fibers were treated using 1 wt% and 5 wt%
sodium hydroxide solution in water. Each sheet was soaked in the
alkaline solution for 30 min using a ratio between the volume so-
lution and the weight of the sheet equal to 45 ml/g. Afterwards, the
alkalized fibers were washed with distilled water until all the so-
dium hydroxide was eliminated and the pH of the water was equal
to 7. The washed fibers were then dried in an oven at 70  C for 24 h.
2.2.2. Silane treatment
The major difficulty which limits an extended use of natural
212 R. Sepe et al. / Composites Part B 133 (2018) 210e217
fibers is their hydrophilic nature. This property affects adhesion to a
hydrophobic matrix (of polymeric nature) and decreases the me-
chanical properties of the resulting composite material. Therefore
an important chemical modification method is the chemical
coupling method. This method improves the interfacial adhesion.
The fiber surface is treated with a compound that forms a bridge of
chemical bonds between the fiber and matrix.
The silane coupling agents are hydrophilic compounds with a
silicon atom bonded to different functional groups such that one
end can interact with matrix and the other end can react with
hydrophilic fiber, which act as a bridge between them. A typical
alkoxysilane coupling agent can be represented by the following
formula:
R  ðCH2 Þn  SiðOR0Þ3
where n ¼ 0 ÷ 3, OR' is the hydrolysable alkoxy group, and R a
functional organic group. The functional organic group (R) in the
coupling agent causes the reaction with the polymer. The general
mechanism which leads to the formation of the bonds between
the alkoxysilanes and the fiber surface is shown in Fig. 1. The
alkoxysilane is first hydrolyzed to generate active silanol groups,
which can condense with other silanol groups to form siloxane
linkages (oligomers). The oligomers then hydrogen bond with OH
groups of substrate. Finally during drying or curing, a covalent
linkage is formed with the substrate with concomitant loss of
water.
The silane used in this study was a (3-Glycidyloxypropyl) tri-
methoxysilane (GPTMS, Sigma Aldrich co), a silane coupling agent
with chemical formula H2COCHCH2O(CH2)3Si(OCH3)3 and shown in
Fig. 2.
To evaluate the effect of silane treatments, the hemp fibers were
treated using solutions containing 1, 5, and 20 wt% of silane
coupling agent (weight of silane relative to the weight of hemp
fabric) in ethanol and water. Adequate amounts of the silane were
previously prehydrolysed at room temperature for 1 h in an 80/
20 vol % solution of ethanol/water. After that period, the fibers
where soaked in the hydrolyzed silane solution for 1 h using a ratio
between the volume solution and the weight of the sheet equal to
22.5 ml/g. Subsequently, the fibers were dried in an oven at 70  C
for 24 h.
Fig. 1. Mechanism of linking between the alkoxysilanes and the fiber surface which contains hydroxyl group.
Fig. 2. Chemical structures of silane coupling agents GPTMS.
2.3. Fibers characterization
The chemical structure of the untreated and treated fiber were
investigated by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to
identify the modification of the fibers chemistry induced by the
treatments. The FTIR spectra were carried out at room temperature
by a Nicolet system, Nexus model, equipped with a Deuterated
Tryglycine Sulphate with potassium bromide (DTGS KBr) windows
detector. The FTIR transmittance spectra were recorded in the 400-
4000 cm1 region with a resolution of 4 cm1. The untreated and
treated fiber were grinded and each sample was mixed with KBr.
Disks containing 1 wt % of sample in KBr were prepared using an
hydraulic press. The spectrum of each sample represents an average
of 45 scans, which were corrected for the spectrum of the blank
KBr. Moreover, the morphological examinations of treated fiber
were carried out using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). All
specimens were coated with a thin layer gold to get a good con-
ductivity alloy prior to SEM observations. Microstructure observa-
tions were performed using a SEM (Hitachi TM300).
2.4. Laminates fabrication
Six different configurations of hemp/epoxy composites were
manufactured. These were epoxy reinforced with untreated hemp
fiber, epoxy reinforced with hemp fiber alkali treated with different
sodium hydroxide solution concentration, and epoxy reinforced
with hemp fiber silane treated with different solution concentra-
tion of the silane coupling agent. The untreated fibers were dried
out before to make the composites.
All laminates were prepared by Vacuum Infusion Process (VIP)
in a mould at room temperature. The mould used for preparing
laminates is made from a rectangular glass sheets having di-
mensions of 350 x 300 mmxmm, the Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA)
release agent was applied to the surfaces of the mold. Resin and
 R. Sepe et al. / Composites Part B 133 (2018) 210e217 213

hardener were thoroughly mixed with a mechanical stirrer for 3. Results and discussion
5 min, followed by degassing under vacuum for approximately
5 min prior to use. Composites were formed from four plies of 3.1. Fiber modification
textile. The stacks of textile were infused with catalyzed resin and
cured for 24 h at room temperature. All composites were produced FTIR analysis proved that the chemical composition of the fibers
at 42% (±1) fiber weight fraction. The total fiber volume fraction is is modified after the chemical treatments. Fig. 3 shows FTIR spectra
calculated using Eq. (2) of the fibers after alkali treatments compared with the spectrum of


.  the untreated fibers.
Wf rf In the spectrum of the untreated hemp fibers (curve a) the
Vf ¼
.  ; (2) signals of their main components (cellulose, hemicellulose and
Wf rf þ ðWr =rr Þ lignin) are visible as reported in literature extensively [30,31].
After alkali treatments a gradual decrease of the weak peak at
where Wf and Wr are the weights of the fibers and resin, respec- 1734 cm1 and of the strong peak at 1373 cm1 is observed as the
tively, and rf and rr are the densities of fibers and resin, respectively. concentration of the used alkali solution increases (from curve b to
The density of epoxy resin is 1.084 g/cm3, which is obtained from c). Those peaks are ascribable to the stretching of C¼O bonds and in
the manufacturers test report. The hemp density, determined from the plane C-H bending vibrations in the hemicellulose. Their
the density of the composite following water displacement method decrease is due to the removal of a part of the hemicellulose from
is found to be 1.48 g/cm3 which is consistent with the literature the fibers surface caused by the treatment with NaOH solution [21].
value [27]. The stacking sequences of the laminates were reported Fig. 4 shows FTIR spectra of the fibers after the treatments with
in Table 1. silane coupling agent compared with the spectrum of the untreated
fibers.
2.5. Mechanical characterization In literature it is reported that the most intense bands in the
spectrum of pure GPTMS are at about 1192, 1078, 910, 817 and
Tensile tests and flexural tests were performed in accordance 780 cm1 due to the stretching of CeO, SieO and SieC bonds [32].
with the ASTM D 3039/M and ASTM D 790 standards respectively In the spectra of the fibers treated with the GPTMS solutions, many
[28,29]. An electromechanical testing machine MTS with load cell of those peaks are not visible, probably because are overlapped by
of 5 kN was used for mechanical testing. the signals of the organic component of the hemp fibers. Only a
Specimens for tension test were carefully cut from laminates
using a diamond wheel saw; the specimens were cut with fabric
warp yarns oriented in the loading direction. The geometry of the
specimens is a plate 25.4
254
th (mm
mm
mm). The
specimens were tested without tabs and, to ensure proper gripping
and failure in the gauge length, a folded strip of medium grade (80
grit) emery cloth between the specimen faces and the grip jaws was
used, mounting at grip pressure of 1 MPa. The tension tests were
carried out with crosshead speed of 2 mm/min at room tempera-
ture and measuring the strain by extensometer by 50 mm gage
length.
The specimens for flexural test of 25.4 mm length and 12.4 mm
wide were cut from the laminates such that warp yarns were ori-
ented longitudinally. The specimen is placed onto two supports
with a span of 25.4 mm and the speed of the jaws was set to
0.72 mm/min. A three point bending test was chosen instead of a
four point bending one because the former eliminates the need to
accurately determine center-point deflections with test equipment.
Five samples were tested for each composite to evaluate the
mechanical properties. All data (load, displacement and strains)
were acquired. Stress-strain curves were obtained from these tests
and Young's modulus, flexural modulus and tensile and flexural Fig. 3. FTIR spectra of hemp fibers (a) untreated and treated with (b) 1 wt % NaOH and
strength, values were evaluated. (c) 5 wt % NaOH solutions.

Table 1
Laminate stacking sequences.

Symbol Fiber Treatment Test N ply Stacking sequence Thickness (th) [mm] Wf % Vf %

A Hemp Untreated Tension and flexural testing 4 [0/90]1s 1.364 42.9 34.5 (±1)
B Hemp Alkaline treatment Tension and flexural testing 4 [0/90]1s 1.511 42.2 34.8 (±1)
NaOH 1%
C Hemp Alkaline treatment Tension and flexural testing 4 [0/90]1s 1.679 41.9 33.9 (±1)
NaOH 5%
D Hemp Silane treatment Tension and flexural testing 4 [0/90]1s 1.471 40.8 33.8 (±1)
1%
E Hemp Silane treatment Tension and flexural testing 4 [0/90]1s 1.460 42.0 34.7 (±1)
5%
F Hemp Silane treatment Tension and flexural testing 4 [0/90]1s 1.450 42.3 34.8 (±1)
20%
214 R. Sepe et al. / Composites Part B 133 (2018) 210e217

Fig. 4. Panel A - FTIR spectra of hemp fibers (a) untreated and treated with (b) 1 wt %, (c) 5 wt % and (d) 20 wt % silane solutions. Panel B e Enlarged view of the spectral region
900e750 cm1.

weak peak appear at 833 cm1 when high concentration of silane

was used (curve c and d) which can be ascribed to Si-C bonds vi-
bration of GPTMS. Moreover, it is evident a change in the shape of
the region 1400-1300 cm1 due to the influence of the signal due to
the in-plane bending of C-H bonds of the alkyl chain of the silane at
1355 cm1 [33]. Moreover the presence of the silane band at
1355 cm1 may mask the decrease of the intensity of the peak at
1373 cm1 of the hemicellulose. Therefore, the partial removal of
the hemicellulose in the condition of the silane treatment can be
not excluded, mainly due to water [34].

3.2. Tensile testing

The evolution of tensile stress vs strain curves at different fiber

contents is shown in Fig. 5. All the curves display a linear range at
low strain (<0.5%) followed by a hardening region which continue
up to 5%. The different effects of treatments are better depicted in
Figs. 6 and 7 while from Fig. 5 it is clear that the elongation at break
Fig. 6. Tensile strength of treated fiber composites.
increase with the treatments.
The tensile strength of composites reinforced with alkali treated
fibers is lower than that of composites reinforced with untreated
fibers. The reduction of the tensile strength is most noticeable for
composites with fibers treated with the solution of NaOH at 5%

Fig. 7. Tensile modulus of treated fiber composites.

concentration. For this treatment, the tensile strength is 25% lower

than that of composite with untreated fibers. Meanwhile, the ten-
Fig. 5. Typical tensile stress vs. strain (DL/L0) curves for six different configurations of sile strength of the 5% NaOH-treated fiber composite is lower than
hemp/epoxy composites and for a crosshead speed of 2 mm min1. that of 1% NaOH-treated composite. This may be due to the
 R. Sepe et al. / Composites Part B 133 (2018) 210e217 215

hemicellulose and lignin present on the fiber, which was substan-
tially removed after the 5% alkali treatment (according to FTIR
analysis, Fig. 3). This causes fibril in the fiber to be easily pulled out
(fibrillation), as confirmed by SEM observations (Fig. 8) [35,36]. The
tensile strengths of the silane-treated composites are lower than
that of the untreated hemp fiber composites, but the tensile
strength of the 20% silane treated fiber composite is 8% lower than
that of untreated fiber composite.
The variation of the tensile modulus of composites reinforced
with alkali treated fibers (Fig. 7) closely matches that of the tensile
strength shown in Fig. 6. The tensile modulus of the composite with
fibers subjected to the 5% NaOH treatment is lower than that of the
composites with untreated fibers (about 7%) while the modulus of
the1% NaOH-treated fiber composite is almost equal of untreated
fiber composite. The tensile modulus of the composites with fibers
subjected to silane treatment is significantly higher than that of the
composites with both untreated fibers and fibers treated with alkali
solution. The increase in modulus associated with the silane
treatment is attributed to improved bonding between the fibers
and the matrix. Sufficient load transfer between the matrix and the
fibers occurs for the higher modulus of the fibers to beneficially
impact on the modulus of the composite.
The 1% silane treatment composite shows the highest tensile
modulus value (5847 MPa) while the 5% NaOH treated fiber com-
posite show the lowest (4947 MPa). Therefore the 1% silane treat-
ment composite is found to have tensile modulus 15% and 10%
higher than that of 5% NaOH treated fiber composite and untreated
fiber composite respectively. The SEM images of silane treated
hemp fibers (Fig. 9) show a slightly smoother surface free of resi-
dues compared to that of untreated hemp fibers. This difference can
be due to: i) the effect of the ethanol/water mixture which can
removes part of pectin and hemicelluloses [34]; ii) the formation of
a siloxane layer on the fiber surface, due to the condensation of the
silane groups. This layer is more evident in the SEM micrographs of
the 5 and 20% treated fibers. It is in agreement with FTIR analysis
which confirmed the presence of the silane molecules on the sur-
face of hemp fibers after the silane treatment (Fig. 4). Moreover, the
GPTMS signals are more evident when the fibers were treated with

Fig. 8. SEM images of (a) NaOH 1% treated hemp fiber; (b) NaOH 5% treated hemp fiber.

Fig. 9. SEM images of the surfaces of (a) untreated, (b) 1% silane-treated, (c) 5% silane-treated, and (d) 20% silane-treated hemp fibers.
216 R. Sepe et al. / Composites Part B 133 (2018) 210e217
5% and 20% of silane. The presence of GPTMS, therefore, changes
the chemical composition of the hemp fiber surfaces and, in turn,
the fiber morphology.
3.3. Flexural testing
The flexural strengths and flexural modulus of the hemp fiber-
reinforced composites are shown in Figs. 10 and 11. They show
the influence of the above treatments on the composite properties,
measured by three point bending tests. The reported values are
based on the averages and standard deviations calculated from the
replicates tested for each sample type. It can be seen that the trends
of the flexural strength values are similar to those of tensile
strength.
As was observed for tensile strength, the silane treated com-
posites have a higher flexural strength than the composites made
with fibers treated with alkali solution. Moreover the data show
that 1% and 5% silane treated fiber reinforcements were able to
improve both material flexural strength and flexural modulus. The
composites with 5% silane treated fiber show the highest modulus
value (around 4186 MPa) while composite with 5% NaOH treated
fiber shows the lowest one (3694 MPa). The peak flexural strength
occurs at a silane solution in the region of 1e5% and because the
flexural strength increase with the silane treatments consequently
the load transfer efficiency raises. The composites with 1% silane
Fig. 10. Flexural strength of treated fiber composites.
Fig. 11. Flexural modulus of treated fiber composites.
treated fiber show the highest flexural strength value (around
125 MPa) while composite with 5% NaOH treated fiber shows the
lowest (114.02 MPa).
Different from the NaOH treatment, silane treatment leads to an
improvement of the flexural properties, although no extreme
values are obtained. It is therefore clear that the use of the silane
treatment is a great deal more beneficial than either the alkali
treatments.
4. Conclusions
Vacuum infusion process was used to manufacture hemp fiber
reinforced epoxy composites. Mechanical test results and SEM ex-
aminations show that (3-Glycidyloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane
treatment of hemp fibers improves, although no high values are
obtained, the tensile and flexural properties of hemp fiber rein-
forced epoxy composites. Alkali treatment removes lignin and
hemicellulose from the surface of natural fibers but alkali treatment
causes fibril in the fiber to be easily pulled out (fibrillation) that
reduces the mechanical properties of composites. FTIR indicated
that the silane treatment coated the fibers. Silane treated fiber
composites had a greater tensile modulus than untreated and alkali
treated and the properties are considerably better than those ob-
tained from alkali treatment. A concentration of 1% of silane is the
optimum to improve mechanical properties.
It is clear that all the mechanical properties evaluated and the
surface of fibers are significantly affected by the chemical treatment
of the hemp fibers.
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