Dependence of Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Thermoplastic Composites on Electron Beam Irradiation

Since the restrictions for environmental protection being strengthened, thermoplastics reinforced with natural fibers (NF’s), such as jute, kenaf, flax, etc. have appeared as alternatives to chemical plastics for automobile iInterior materials. In this study, the thermal conductivity, tensile strength, and deformation of several kinds of thermoplastic composites composed of 50% polypropylene (PP) and 50% natural fiber (NF) irradiated by an electron beam (energy: 0.5MeV, dose: 0–20 kGy) were measured. The length and thickness of PP and NF are 80 ± 10mm and 40–120μm, respectively. The results show that the thermal conductivity and the tensile strength changed and became minimum, when the dose of the electron beam was 10 kGy. However, the effect of the dose on the deformation was not clear.