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

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.

Enhancing Sustainability: Jute Fiber-Reinforced Bio-Based Sandwich Composites for Use in Battery Boxes.

The rising industrial demand for environmentally friendly and sustainable materials has shifted the attention from synthetic to natural fibers. Natural fibers provide advantages like affordability, lightweight nature, and renewability. Jute fibers' substantial production potential and cost-efficiency have propelled current research in this field.

Mechanical Properties of Bio-Based Sandwich Composites Containing Recycled Polymer Textiles.

In this paper, sandwich composites were produced by compression moulding techniques, and they consisted of regenerated cellulose fabric (rayon) and bio-based polypropylene (PP) to form facings, while virgin and recycled polyamide (PA) textiles were used as core materials. To compare the mechanical performance between sandwich composites and typical composite designs, a control composite was produced to deliver the same weight and fiber mass fraction from rayon and PP. To evaluate the influence of recycled textile on the mechanical properties of the composites, a series of flexural, low velocity impact (LVI) and tensile tests were performed.

Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Wood-Fiber-Based All-Cellulose Composites and Cellulose-Polypropylene Biocomposites.

This article explores wood-fiber-based fabrics containing Lyocell yarn in the warp and Spinnova-Lyocell (60%/40%) yarn in the weft, which are used to form unidirectional all-cellulose composites (ACC) through partial dilution in a NaOH-urea solution. The aim is to investigate the role of the yarn orientation in composites, which was conducted by measuring the tensile properties in both the 0° and 90° directions. As a reference, thermoplastic biocomposites were prepared from the same fabrics, with biobased polypropylene (PP) as the matrix.

Fabrication: Mechanical Testing and Structural Simulation of Regenerated Cellulose Fabric Elium Thermoplastic Composite System.

Regenerated cellulose fibres are an important part of the forest industry, and they can be used in the form of fabrics as reinforcement materials. Similar to the natural fibres (NFs), such as flax, hemp and jute, that are widely used in the automotive industry, these fibres possess good potential to be used for semi-structural applications. In this work, the mechanical properties of regenerated cellulose fabric-reinforced poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) (Elium) composite were investigated and compared with those of its natural fibre composite counterparts.

Investigation of Fire Protection Performance and Mechanical Properties of Thin-Ply Bio-Epoxy Composites.

Hybrid composites composed of bio-based thin-ply carbon fibre prepreg and flame-retardant mats (E20MI) have been produced to investigate the effects of laminate design on their fire protection performance and mechanical properties. These flame-retardant mats rely primarily on expandable graphite, mineral wool and glass fibre to generate a thermal barrier that releases incombustible gasses and protects the underlying material. A flame retardant (FR) mat is incorporated into the carbon fibre bio-based polymeric laminate and the relationship between the fire protection properties and mechanical properties is investigated.

Integrated Computational Material Design for PMC Manufacturing with Trapped Rubber.

As the use of continuous fiber polymer matrix composites expands into new fields, there is a growing need for more sustainable manufacturing processes. An integrated computational material design framework has been developed, which enables the design of tailored manufacturing systems for polymer matrix composite materials as a sustainable alternative to achieving high-quality components in high-rate production. Trapped rubber processing achieves high pressures during polymer matrix composite processing, utilizing the thermally induced volume change of a nearly incompressible material inside a closed cavity mold.

Elastomer Characterization Method for Trapped Rubber Processing.

The increasing high-volume demand for polymer matrix composites (PMCs) brings into focus the need for autoclave alternative processing. Trapped rubber processing (TRP) of PMCs is a method capable of achieving high pressures during polymer matrix composite processing by utilizing thermally induced volume change of a nearly incompressible material inside a closed cavity mold. Recent advances in rubber materials and computational technology have made this processing technique more attractive.

Flammability, Smoke, Mechanical Behaviours and Morphology of Flame Retarded Natural Fibre/Elium Composite.

The work involves fabrication of natural fibre/Elium composites using resin infusion technique. The jute fabrics were treated using phosphorus-carbon based flame retardant (FR) agent, a phosphonate solution and graphene nano-platelet (GnP), followed by resin infusion, to produce FR and graphene-based composites. The properties of these composites were compared with those of the Control (jute fabric/Elium).

Fully Biodegradable Composites: Thermal, Flammability, Moisture Absorption and Mechanical Properties of Natural Fibre-Reinforced Composites with Nano-Hydroxyapatite.

Natural fibre-reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) laminates were prepared by a conventional film stacking method from PLA films and natural fabrics with a cross ply layup of [0/90/0/90/0/90], followed by hot compression. Natural fibre (NF) nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) filled composites were produced by the same manufacturing technique with matrix films that had varying concentrations of nHA in the PLA. Their flammability, thermal, moisture absorption and mechanical properties were analysed in terms of the amount of nHA.