Investigating the Effect of Fabric Surface Texture in the Tensile Properties of Hemp/PLA Bio-Composites

Nowadays, the use of biocomposites as a worthy alternative to traditional synthetic fiber-reinforced plastics isincreasing dramatically. Despite this, the high dependence of the material properties on different parameters isconsidered as one of the greatest challenges of using these composites in real industrial applications. The characteristicsof bio-composites are influenced by a number of variables including the type of fibers, fabric surface texture,environmental conditions, manufacturing methods, etc. In this study, the tensile properties of three different types ofwoven hemp fabric reinforced Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) composites were experimentally studied. The results show thatthe physical properties of natural reinforcement such as fabric surface texture can significantly affect the mechanicalproperties of these bio-composites. In addition, it was found that the tensile properties of hemp/PLA bio-compositesincrease with the increased fineness of the fabric surface texture.