In the present work, polypropylene (PP)- and polyethylene (PE)-based composites were cured using microwave energy with 15% weight percentage of jute and kenaf fibres. The detailed mechanism of microwave curing of the composites has been discussed with suitable illustrations. The mechanical characterization of the microwave-cured composites was carried out using various tests. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) fractographs were used to study the mechanisms of failure. The ultimate tensile strength of various microwave-cured composites was in the range of 44–50 MPa. The interlaminar shear strength of the PP-based composites was 62% higher than the PE-based composites. The impact energy of the microwave-cured composites was in the range of 18–24 kJ. The mechanical performance of the microwave-cured composites was comparable to the composites obtained through traditional manufacturing routes.

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The present work aims to study the abrasive wear of kenaf/high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites with 20% weight fraction reinforcement of the kenaf fiber. A unique technique of the microwave-assisted compression molding (MACM) was used to fabricate the composites. The pin-on-disc setup was used for two-body abrasive wear, in which the kenaf/HDPE composite acts as a pin and the abrasive paper (P100) acts as a counter surface. Two-body abrasive wear tests were conducted for HDPE and kenaf/HDPE composites at normal loads of 10 N, 20 N, and 30 N and the sliding speed of 1 m/s, 2 m/s, and 3 m/s within 100 m of sliding distance. Tribofilm formation was observed at higher values of load and speed, which helps in reducing the wear-rate of the composites. Wear mechanism of the kenaf/HDPE composite is discussed in detail and supported with scanning electron microscope (SEM) fractography.

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