No abstract

Bio-based laminate composites, consisting of alternatively stacked poly(lactic acid) (PLA) sheet and randomly oriented areca fiber mat, were processed via film stacking technique (FST). FST was chosen as it is a commercially viable, low energy-intensive process for fabricating fiber-reinforced composite, thereby advocating environmental sustainability. Laminate composites exhibited mechanical strength of 6.5 MPa at 16 wt % fiber loading. Crystallinity of as-received PLA sheets was found to be 26% due to the presence of 30 wt % inorganic filler, and showed further enhancement to 50% upon the addition of 22 wt % areca fiber. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed higher glass transition temperature (83 8C) for PLA sheets, mainly due to the presence of higher filler content. This work demonstrates the use of bio-based laminate composite processed at the lowest possible temperatures as viable alternatives to thermoplastic polyolefins in automobiles.