Study: “3D printing of polypropylene reinforced with hemp fibers: Mechanical, water absorption and morphological properties”

Research article
3D printing of polypropylene reinforced with hemp fibers:
Mechanical, water absorption and morphological properties
Raffay Sultan , Mikael Skrifvars, Pooria Khalili *
Swedish Centre for Resource recovery, Faculty of Textiles, Engineering and Business, University of Borås, SE-50190, Borås, Sweden

ARTICLE INFO
Keywords:
Additively manufactured
Hemp fiber reinforced polymer
3D printing
Mechanical properties
Water absorption

ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to develop and additively manufacture polypropylene-hemp fiber
(PPHF) composites, which were composed of polypropylene (PP) and hemp fibers (HF) in various
percentages (5%, 10%, and 20%). The objective was to examine the mechanical properties and
water absorption behaviors of extruded PP, conventional filament PP and PPHF composites. The
findings of the flexural and tensile tests provided important valuable information. In comparison
to the other materials examined, extruded PP had the highest flexural modulus and strength, but
filament PP had the lowest mechanical properties. The results showed that the 5% hemp PP
composite exhibited the highest tensile strength, and the 20% hemp PP composite showed the
highest Young’s modulus. These results highlight how crucial hemp fiber content is in modifying
the mechanical characteristics of a polymeric material to obtain the material with desirable
properties for specific industry requirements