The Evaluation of Sandwich Composite Materials with Vegetable Fibers in a Castor Oil Polyurethane Matrix with Their Faces and Honeycomb Core Made in a 3D Printer.

Sandwich panels are widely used in the naval and aerospace industries to withstand the normal tensile, compressive, and shear stresses associated with bending. The faces of sandwich composites are usually made of metals such as aluminum and, in some studies with composites, using a polymeric matrix, but there are no studies in the literature using a castor oil polyurethane matrix. The core of the panel must keep the faces apart and be rigid perpendicular to them.

Influence of Bentonite Particles on the Mechanical Properties of Polyester-Sisal Fiber Composites.

As a part of the mission to create materials that are more environmentally friendly, we present the following proposal, in which a study of the mechanical properties of composite materials comprising a polyester resin with sisal fiber and bentonite particles was conducted. Sisal fiber was added to a matrix in percentages ranging from 5% to 45% in relation to the polyester resin weight, while bentonite remained fixed at 7% in relation to the polyester resin weight. The specimens were manufactured by compression molding.

Development of an Epoxy Matrix Hybrid Composite with Astrocaryum Aculeatum (Tucumã) Endocarp and Kaolin from the Amazonas State in Brazil.

Composites with natural lignocellulosic fillers are being cited as a viable and sustainable alternative to conventional materials, as they combine lower costs with lower weight. In many tropical countries, such as Brazil, there is a considerable amount of lignocellulosic waste that is improperly discarded, which causes pollution of the environment. The Amazon region has huge deposits of clay silicate materials in the Negro River basin, such as kaolin, which can be used as fillers in polymeric composite materials.

The Stability and Properties of Polystyrene/Kaolinite Nanocomposites during Synthesis via Emulsion Polymerization.

The aim of this work was to study the stability and morphological properties of polystyrene latex containing kaolinite as a filler during the process of synthesis of nanocomposites viaemulsion polymerization. Nanocomposites with 1, 3, and 5 wt% of kaolinite were prepared. Latexes with 1 to 3 wt% of kaolinite were stable during the polymerization reaction.

Effect of Nanometric Particles of Bentonite on the Mechanical Properties of a Thermoset Polymeric Matrix Reinforced with Hemp Fibers.

The influence of the addition of bentonite nanoparticles on the tensile and flexural strength of a thermosetting polymer matrix composite material reinforced with hemp fibers was de-terminated. All composites were manufactured with 5% of bentonite in the polymer mass-weight ratios and 10 to 45 wt% of fibers with a step of 5%. For mechanical characterization, tensile and flexural tests were performed: scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses were carried out.

Extraction and characterization of vascular bundle and fiber strand from date palm rachis as potential bio-reinforcement in composite.

Date palm rachis fibers are rich in cellulose, relatively inexpensive, and readily available in Algeria. The aim of this study is to investigate the morphology, structure, mechanical and physicochemical characteristics of both vascular bundles and fiber strands extracted from date palm rachis. The difficulties encountered are associated to the extraction of the fibers without damaging them.