Influence of chopped fibre length on the mechanical and thermal properties of silk fibre-reinforced poly(butylene succinate) biocomposites

The influence of chopped fibre length on the mechanical and thermal properties of silk fibre (Bombix mori) reinforced poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) biocomposites has been investigated in terms of tensile and flexural properties, thermal stability, thermal expansion, and dynamic mechanical properties. The chopped fibre lengths studied were 3.2 mm, 6.4 mm, 12.7 mm, and 25.4 mm. The results demonstrate that chopped silk fibres play an effective role in improving the mechanical properties of PBS in the present system. At a fixed fibre loading of 40 wt%, the tensile strength and modulus of the PBS control were improved by 69% and 228%, respectively, in comparison with those of the biocomposite reinforced with 25.4 mm silk fibres. The flexural strength and modulus of PBS were also greatly improved by 167% and 323%, respectively. The thermal properties of PBS resin increased when incorporating chopped silk fibres in the composite matrix. The biocomposites had much lower linear coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) values and higher storage moduli than the PBS controls above the glass transition region, especially with reinforcing silk fibres of 25.4 mm long.