Natural fibre composites composite materials

In recent years starch, the polysaccharide of cereals, legumes and tubers, has acquired relevance as a biodegradable polymer and is becoming increasingly important as an industrial material (Fritz Aichholzer, 1995). Starch is a thermoplastic polymer and it can therefore be extruded or injection moulded (Balta Calleja et al, 1999). It can also be processed by application of pressure and heat. Starch has been used successfully as a matrix in composites of natural fibres (flax, jute, etc.). The use of starch in these composites could be of value in applications such as automobile interiors. An advantage of this biopolymer is that its preparation as well as its destruction do not act negatively upon the environment. A further advantage of starch is its low price as compared with conventional synthetic thermoplastics (PE, PP). 

Natural fibre composites Materials, processes and properties Edited by A. Hodzic and R. Shanks... 

Haide A (2008) Novel Wood/Melamine Composites - Influence of Additives on Processing Behaviour and Material Properties. Lecture at the 7th Global WPC and Natural Fibre Composites Congress, June 18th-19th, Kassel, Institut fiir Werkstofftechnik Bledzki AK, Sperber VE (Ed)... 

Another step in putting the concept into practice could be made in a development project with the Johnson Controls Interiors company (subsidised by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Forestry of Lower Saxony). The goal of this project was to create a door panelling element with a material made of 100% renewable resources since the goal was an environmentally-friendly means of disposal. In addition to the priority of economic efficiency, the established manufacturing technique was to be used in order to meet the required component specifications. A biopolymer which by then had been developed made it possible for the natural fibre composite material to meet the requirements determined in the specifications sheet. 

The automotive industry is the prime driver of green composites because the industry is faced with issues for which green materials offer a solution [69]. Many components for the automotive sector are now made from natural fibre composite materials [70]. Natural fibres have intrinsic properties like mechanical strength, low weight and low cost, ecological sustainability, low energy requirements for... 

For consumers, natural fibre composites in automobiles provide better thermal and acoustic insulation than fibre glass and reduce irritation of the skin and respiratory system. The low density of plant fibres also reduces vehicle weight, which cuts fuel consumption [72]. Alves et al. [73] studied the life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis of the replacement of glass fibres by jute fibres as reinforcement of composite materials to produce automotive structural components in the structural frontal bonnet of an off-road vehicle (Buggy). 

A.N.Fraga, E. FrulUoni, O. de la Osa, J.M. Kenny, and A. Vazquez, Relationship between water absorption and dielectric behaviour of natural fibre composite materials. Polym. Test. 25,181-187(2006). 

Suddell, B.C. and Evans, W.J. (2003) The increasing use and application of natural fibre composites materials within the automotive industry. Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Woodfiber-Plastic Composites, Forest Products Society, Madison, Wl. 

Kapanen A., Venelampi O., Vikman M., Itavaara M. Testing the ecotoxicity of biodegradable plastics, KTBL-Schrift 414 biodegradable materials and natural fibre composites. Darmstadt Kuratorium filr Technik und Bauwesen in der Landwirtschaft e.V (KTBL), 2002,107. 

Use of natural fibre composites. A large number of papers has been published on the advantage of using natural fibres as well as wood flour [94—96], which are to be light, renewable, and environmentally friendly. Research is focused in improving interfadal adhesion by surface treatment, chemical modification. More research is needed to develop practically viable methods to use these fibres. In spite of these difficulties, a large increase is expected in the use of such materials [97]. 

ABSTRACT The paper deals with selected aspects of safety features of polymer composites with natural fibres. These kinds of composites have been starting to be used quite widely in the technical industry like automotive and aerospace, etc. Our paper will present approaches for selection of those properties and features of polymer composites which are to be used for an event cause description. In this paper we will present selected mechanical properties and qualities which usually create the fundamental point of view in terms of decision about the applicability of polymer composites. The materials measures Uke strength, hardness and elasticity play vital role in terms of physical in-situ applicability. Such properties are firstly observed and assessed in terms of system and object safety parameters. 

Proceedings of the International Symposium on Biodegradable Materials and Natural Fibre Composites in Agriculture and Horticulture, Hanover, Germany, 2002. 

It has been recognised for centuries that certain natural dyes, including alizarin, kermes, cochineal and fustic, now known to contain o-dihydroxy phenolic or anthraquinonoid residues in their structures, can be fixed on natural fibres using oxides or salts of transition metals as mordants. Although mordanted wool dyed with alizarin showed excellent fastness, reproducibility of shade was difficult to achieve because of the variable composition of the raw materials available. The famous Turkey red, in which alizarin was applied to aluminium-mordanted wool in the presence of calcium salts, formed a metallised complex the nature of which remains in considerable doubt. 

Currently marketed wood composites are based on 30% to 70% natural-fibre-filled polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene and PVC. Formulations have high performances and are more expensive than the virgin material. 

There is a renewed interest in natural fibres as sustainable materials to replace industrial glass fibres in general-purpose composites. Several reasons promote these ideas ... 

Riedel, U. (1999). Natural fibre-reinforced biopolymers as construction materials-new discoveries. 2nd International Wood and Natural Fibre Composites Symposium, June 28-29, Kassel/Germany, 1-10. 

It is almost paradoxical that in the history of mankind composite materials were earlier used than their "homogeneous" rivals. The earliest "engineering materials" were bone, wood and clay. Wood is a composite of matrix lignin and a cellulosic reinforcement bone is a natural composite where fibres of hydroxyapatite reinforce the collagen matrix and the oldest building material was adobe clay as a matrix, reinforced by vegetable fibres. After the industrial revolution other composites were added reinforced rubber, reinforced concrete, reinforced asphalt, etc. 

Although the ceramic raw materials have to be transformed into ceramics at relatively high temperatures, particularly silicate ceramic materials require a very low energy consumption for their production (Table 1). Part of the reason for this is that natural raw materials are used, which save energy. On the other hand, the example of carbon-fibre composites shows that high-performance materials can be extremely expensive. 

The naturally fibre ean be used as reinforcement for composite materials it are used as reinforeement for the fibre more than its critical length Ic. 

Composite materials reinforce with natural fibre can be tailoring to specific properties by the length of the fibre, degree of roughness, type of chemical treatment, also low cost to produced that composite materials. 

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