Biodegradable composites for filament winding process

Abstract

The extensive use of composites materials has created disposal and environmental issues. With awareness of preserving the environment, the use of environmentally friendly, sustainable and biodegradable composites have been started. From few decades, natural fiber-reinforced composites (NFRC’s) and bio-degradable resins are used extensively for automotive, construction and other applications. The hybridization of synthetic fiber with natural fiber has gained the attention of researchers. The axisymmetric components such as pressure vessel, driveshaft, storage tanks, pipes, etc. are fabricated by filament winding process. Commonly glass, carbon, aramid fibers are used for this process. The use of natural fibers is challenging in filament winding as these fibers are not continuous, hydrophilic nature, poor bonding with matrix, available geographically, less tensile strength as compare to synthetic fibers. This paper is intended to explore the potential of natural fiber for the filament winding process. High cellulose content and low microfibril angle (MFA) in plant fiber are responsible for the high strength of the natural fiber. Surface modification techniques improve the adhesion between fiber and matrix which results in improving the tensile strength of the composite. Few researchers used sisal, flax and jute fiber for the filament winding process. This paper contains, an outline of filament winding process parameters like fiber tension, winding pattern, winding angle, optimum winding pattern and potential of few plant-based natural fibers and their properties have been highlighted for filament winding process. Also, surface modification techniques to improve the tensile strength of a few plant-based fibers are also been discussed. The global composite pressure vessel synthetic material market is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth rate (CAGR) of 23% from 2017 to 2023. The development of a new hybrid composite made of natural and synthetic fiber suitable for filament winding need to be discovered.