Applied Composite Materials 

About: Applied Composite Materials is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Composite number & Materials science. It has an ISSN identifier of 0929-189X. Over the lifetime, 1405 publications have been published receiving 25127 citations.

Oil Palm Fibre Reinforced Phenol Formaldehyde Composites: Influence of Fibre Surface Modifications on the Mechanical Performance

Abstract: Oil palm fibres have been used as reinforcement in phenol formaldehyde resin. In order to improve the interfacial properties, the fibres were subjected to different chemical modifications such as mercerisation, acrylonitrile grafting, acrylation, latex coating, permanganate treatment, acetylation, and peroxide treatment. The effect of fibre coating on the interface properties has also been investigated. Morphological and structural changes of the fibres were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and IR spectroscopy. Mechanical properties of untreated and treated fibres were studied. Changes in stress–strain characteristics, tensile strength, tensile modulus and elongation at break of the fibres upon various modifications were studied and compared. The incorporation of the modified fibres resulted in composites having excellent impact resistance. Fibre coating enhanced the impact strength of untreated composite by a factor of four. Tensile and flexural performance of the composites were also investigated. Finally, inorder to have an insight into the failure behaviour, the tensile and impact fracture surfaces of the composites were analysed using scanning electron microscope.

Manufacturing Aspects of Advanced Polymer Composites for Automotive Applications

Abstract: Composite materials, in most cases fiber reinforced polymers, are nowadays used in many applications in which light weight and high specific modulus and strength are critical issues. The constituents of these materials and their special advantages relative to traditional materials are described in this paper. Further details are outlined regarding the present markets of polymer composites in Europe, and their special application in the automotive industry. In particular, the manufacturing of parts from thermoplastic as well as thermosetting, short and continuous fiber reinforced composites is emphasized.

Composites from Natural Fibers and Soy Oil Resins

Abstract: The goal of this project is to develop new composites using fibers and resins from renewable resources. The ACRES (Affordable Composites from Renewable Sources) group at the University of Delaware has developed new chemistries to synthesize rigid polymers from plant oils. The resins produced contain at least 50% plant triglycerides and have mechanical properties comparable to commercially available synthetic resins such as vinyl esters, polyesters and epoxies. This project explores the development of all-natural composites by using natural fibers such as hemp and flax as reinforcements in the ACRES resins. Replacing synthetic fibers with natural fibers has both environmental and economic advantages. Unlike carbon and glass fibers, natural fibers are abundantly available from renewable resources. In terms of cost, natural fibers are cheaper than the synthetic alternatives. The natural fibers and plant-based resins have been shown to combine to produce a low cost composite with good mechanical properties. Tensile strength in the 30 MPa range has been obtained for a composite containing about 30 wt% Durafibre Grade 2 flax. The tensile modulus was found to be 4.7 GPa for a 40 wt% flax composite. Similar numbers where obtained for the hemp composites obtained from Hemcore Inc. Composites from renewable resources offer significant potential for new high volume, low cost applications.

Study of Structural Morphology of Hemp Fiber from the Micro to the Nanoscale

Abstract: The focus of this work has been to study how high pressure defibrillation and chemical purification affect the hemp fiber morphology from micro to nanoscale Microscopy techniques, chemical analysis and X-ray diffraction were used to study the structure and properties of the prepared micro and nanofibers Microscopy studies showed that the used individualization processes lead to a unique morphology of interconnected web-like structure of hemp fibers The nanofibers are bundles of cellulose fibers of widths ranging between 30 and 100 nm and estimated lengths of several micrometers The chemical analysis showed that selective chemical treatments increased the α-cellulose content of hemp nanofibers from 75 to 94% Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study showed that the pectins were partially removed during the individualization treatments X-ray analysis showed that the relative crystallinity of the studied fibers increased after each stage of chemical and mechanical treatments It was also observed that the hemp nanofibers had an increased crystallinity of 71 from 57% of untreated hemp fibers

Development of Flax Fibre based Textile Reinforcements for Composite Applications

Abstract: Most developments in the area of natural fibre reinforced composites have focused on random discontinuous fibre composite systems. The development of continuous fibre reinforced composites is, however, essential for manufacturing materials, which can be used in load-bearing/structural applications. The current work aims to develop high-performance natural fibre composite systems for structural applications using continuous textile reinforcements like UD-tapes or woven fabrics. One of the main problems in this case is the optimisation of the yarn to be used to manufacture the textile reinforcement. Low twisted yarns display a very low strength when tested dry in air and therefore they cannot be used in processes such as pultrusion or textile manufacturing routes. On the other hand, by increasing the level of twist, a degradation of the mechanical properties is observed in impregnated yarns (e.g., unidirectional composites) similar to off-axis composites. Therefore, an optimum twist should be used to balance processability and mechanical properties. Subsequently, different types of fabrics (i.e., biaxial plain weaves, unidirectional fabrics and non-crimp fabrics) were produced and evaluated as reinforcement in composites manufactured by well established manufacturing techniques such as hand lay-up, vacuum infusion, pultrusion and resin transfer moulding (RTM). Clearly, as expected, the developed materials cannot directly compete in terms of strength with glass fibre composites. However, they are clearly able to compete with these materials in terms of stiffness, especially if the low density of flax is taken into account. Their properties are however very favourable when compared with non-woven glass composites.