Thermal and mechanical characteristics of polyurethane/curaua fiber composites.

Polyurethane composites reinforced with curaua fiber at 5, 10 and 20% mass/mass proportions were prepared by using the conventional melt-mixing method. The influence of curaua fibers on the thermal behavior and polymer cohesiveness in polyurethane matrix was evaluated by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). This specific interaction between the fibers and the hard segment domain was influenced by the behavior of the storage modulus E′ and the loss modulus E″ curves. The polyurethane PU80 is much stiffer and resistant than the other composites at low temperatures up to 70°C. All samples were thermoplastic and presented a rubbery plateau over a wide temperature range above the glass transition temperature and a thermoplastic flow around 170°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]