Abstract
Biocomposite panels consisting of biobased thermoset resins (EP, PU, UP, and tannin) and flax fibre reinforcements were produced using the vacuum assisted resin transfer moulding process. Panels based on a conventional chemical-based resin matrix were also produced, and investigated comparatively. Rheometric analyses were performed to evaluate the suitability of these resins for liquid composite moulding. Tensile, shear, and impactbending tests have been carried out to assess the quality and mechanical performance of manufactured laminates. The impregnation quality was assessed by means of ultrasonic-C-scanning and microscopy. It turned out that the properties of the biobased composite panels made of biobased epoxy resin and a biobased UP-resin from the company Nuplex in New Zealand were onlay slightly inferior to those produced with a conventional epoxy resin. A biobased PU-resin from the company USSC in the USA developed voids during curing. A tannin-based resin containing of formaldehyde was not processable.
Highlights
Conventional mineral oil-based thermoset materials have been used as matrix materials for natural fibres such as flax and hemp for more than a decade
Since mineral oil should not be regarded as a renewable resource, due to the length of time required for natural creation and shrinking world reserves, attempts have been made to produce bio-based versions of unsaturated polyester (UP), epoxy, and tannin resins [1,2,3]
Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Moulding (VARTM)-Processing Careful observations were made during resin infusion considering two main factors; does the resin boil during degassing or curing, and will the infusion process compare well to infusion using the benchmark synthetic resin? In contrast to the other bio-based resins, the degassing of the Nuplex UP-resin proceeded without boiling
Summary
Conventional mineral oil-based thermoset materials have been used as matrix materials for natural fibres such as flax and hemp for more than a decade. Since mineral oil should not be regarded as a renewable resource, due to the length of time required for natural creation and shrinking world reserves, attempts have been made to produce bio-based versions of unsaturated polyester (UP), epoxy, and tannin resins [1,2,3]. Combining these bio-based resins with natural fibres results in composite materials, made only from renewable resources, which can be called biocomposites or green composites. Quite a few publications exist in the field of biothermoset-based natural fibre composites [1115] which have been applied to some prototype applications in the fields of civil and transport engineering [1618]
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