Effect of Ramie Particle Content to the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Rigid Polyurethane Foam Composite
摘要
The ramie particle was used as a filler for the manufacture of rigid polyurethane foam composites (RPUFC). The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of ramie particle contents to physical and mechanical properties of RPUFC. The free rise foaming was observed to determine the reactivity of rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF) with the addition of ramie particles. The RPUFC with five different volume contents of ramie particle (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 wt%), with a board density of 50 kg/m3 were manufactured. The polyols, ramie particles, and isocyanate were mixed, then poured and formed in a closed mold. The moisture content (MC), water absorption (WA) thickness swelling (TS), and internal bonding strength (IB) properties were determined according to JIS A 5908-2003. The flexural strength (FS) properties was determined according to ASTM D790. The results showed that the addition of ramie particles in the RPUF has accelerated the free rise foaming. The physical properties (MC, WA, TS) were increased with increasing ramie particles in the RPUFC. The IB value was increased by increasing the ramie particles in the RPUFC. The modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of young (MOE) values of the RPUFC between the addition and without the addition of ramie particle were not significantly different. In fact, with the addition of 2.5% ramie particles, the MOR value of RPUFC was higher than RPUFC without using ramie particles. Thereby, the addition of ramie particles in the RPUFC means reducing the use of polyurethane, hence the product is more environmentally friendly and can reduce production costs.