Physical and abrasive wear behaviour of Urena lobata fiber-reinforced polymer composites

The influence of fiber loading and chemical treatment of Urena lobata natural fiber loading (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 wt%) on the physical, wear, and thermal stability of polypropylene-based composites was investigated. Urena lobata fibers were treated with 6 wt% NaOH solution. Both the untreated and treated Urena lobata/polypropylene composites were produced by compression molding. The physical (density and water absorption) and abrasion properties of the composites were then evaluated. Thereafter, the thermal stability of the fibers and composites were analyzed. The alkaline-treated Urena lobata fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites showed improvement in the density (1.04–1.74 g/cm³) and wear resistance (19.57–26.17 mm³) than the untreated Urena lobata fiber/polypropylene composites. However, the treated Urena lobata fiber/polypropylene composites absorbed more water than the untreated Urena lobata fiber/polypropylene composites. Then the treated fiber composites were more thermally stable than the untreated fiber composites due to enhanced fiber–matrix adhesion obtained by alkaline treatment of the fibers.