Improvement of the Mechanical Properties of Biodegradable Hemp Fiber Reinforced Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) Composites by the Admixture of Man-made Cellulose Fibers

This article describes the improvement of the mechanical characteristics, in particular impact properties, of hemp fiber reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites by the admixture of man-made cellulose fibers (Lyocell). It was examined to what extent these characteristics can be influenced by the mixture of hemp and Lyocell fibers. For this purpose, composites of hemp fibers, man-made Lyocell fibers and hemp/Lyocell fiber mixtures were produced with a PLA matrix and fiber mass proportions of 40% by compression molding. The composites were investigated for their tensile and impact properties. The results show that combining hemp and Lyocell in a composite can improve the impact strength by 160% compared to hemp fiber reinforced composites. Thus, it is possible to adjust the properties of composites, optimizing them for certain requirements.