Chicken Feathers
Cheng et al , China and Australia, processed chicken feather fiber (CFF)/reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites were processed using a twin-screw extruder and an injection molder. "The tensile moduli of CFF/PLA composites with different CFF content (2, 5, 8 and 10 wt%) were found to be higher than that of pure PLA, and a maximum value of 4.2 GPa (16%↑)was attained with 5 wt% of CFF without causing any substantial weight increment. The morphology, evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), indicated that an uniform dispersion of CFF in the PLA matrix existed. The mechanical and thermal properties of pure PLA and CFF/PLA composites were compared using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermomechanical analysis (TMA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). DMA results revealed that the storage modulus of the composites increased with respect to the pure polymer, whereas the mechanical loss factor (tan δ) decreased. The results of TGA experiments indicated that the addition of CFF enhanced the thermal stability of the composites as compared to pure PLA. The outcome obtained from this study is believed to assist the development of environmentally-friendly composites from biodegradable polymers, especially for converting agricultural waste – chicken feather into useful products."
Mechanical and thermal properties of chicken feather fiber/PLA green composites
(650-654) Composites Part B: Engineering 40 #7 (2009)
Recent Journal Articles
Mechanical properties of chicken feather fibers
(937–944)Polymer Composites 32 #6 (2011)
Zhan and Wool of the University of Delaware, Delaware, studied the mechanical properties of the feather barbs statistically. The strain at break of chicken feather fibers (CFF)s had a Gaussian distribution with a mean value of 6.93%. The tensile modulus of CFFs was 3.59 ± 1.09 GPa and average tensile strength was 203 ± 74 MPa, respectively. Both tensile modulus and tensile strength among different feathers were significantly different. The failure of the CFFs followed a Weibull distribution with a scale parameter value of 178.7 MPa and a shape parameter value of 2.32. (RDC 6/3/2011)