Investigation of Long Cellulose Fibre Reinforced and Injection Moulded Poly(lactic acid) Biocomposites

Abstract

We investigated injection moulded composites of a polylactic acid matrix reinforced with cellulose fibers. We produced long fiber reinforced granules (preforms) with the use of two technologies: extrusion coating and film stacking. We examined the effect of fiber reinforcement and manufacturing technology on the properties of the composites. 30 wt% fiber reinforcement caused an increase in both strength and modulus compared to the reference PLA, and we also managed to improve creep resistance.