Study of Mechanical Properties of Urea- Formaldehyde Thermosets Reinforced by Pine Needle Powder

Lignocellulosic fibers have received much more attention than ever before from the research community all over the world during the past few years because of their enormous advantages. A study on the preparation of new series of polymer composites using Pine Needles as a reinforcing material in Urea Formaldehyde resin has been made. Mechanical properties of intimately mixed particle reinforced (Pine Needles) composites have been studied. Effects of different loading of reinforcement in terms of weight % on static mechanical properties such as tensile, compressive, flexural and wear properties have also been evaluated. The Urea-Formaldehyde resin prepared was subjected to evaluation of its optimum mechanical properties. The reinforcing of the resin with Pine Needles was accomplished in particle size of 200 micron by employing optimized resin. The present work reveals that mechanical properties of the UreaFormaldehyde resin increases to a considerable extent when reinforced with Pine Needle Particles. Thermal (TGA/ DTA/DTG) and morphological studies (SEM) of the resin and polymer composites thus synthesized have also been studied. The results obtained suggest that Pine Needles can be a premium candidate for the reinforcement of high-performance polymer composites.