• Composites Research
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.281-287
• /
• 2023

Environmental pollution from waste and the climate crisis, due to rising global average temperatures, are reaching critical levels threatening human survival. Research is ongoing across various fields to solve this problem, with a key focus on developing eco-friendly, carbon-neutral materials. Our study aimed to integrate natural fibers, known for their environmentally friendly properties and lower carbon emissions, with carbon fibers. In general, combining high-strength and low-strength materials results in intermediate properties. However, we found that certain properties in our study exceeded those of typical carbon fiber composite materials. To validate this, we produced both carbon fiber composite materials and carbon fiber/natural fiber hybrid composite materials. We then compared their mechanical properties using a range of specific tests. Our results revealed that the hybrid composite material exhibited superior bending strength and fracture toughness compared to the carbon fiber composite material. We also identified the underlying mechanisms contributing to this strength enhancement. This breakthrough suggests that the use of hybrid composite materials may allow the production of stronger structures. Moreover, this can play a significant role in mitigating environmental pollution and the climate crisis by reducing carbon emissions, a major contributing factor to these global challenges.

• Proceedings of the Korea Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry Conference
• /
• 2007.11a
• /
• pp.93-102
• /
• 2007

Biocomposite was organized with biodegradable polymer and natural fiber that has potential to be used as replacement for glass fiber reinforced polymer composite with the benefits of low cost, low density, acceptable specific strength, biodegradability, etc. Until now, non-wood fibers have been used as reinforcements of biocomposite which are all plant-based fibers. The present study focused on investigating the fabrication and characterization of biocomposite reinforced with red algae fiber. The bleached red algae fiber(BRAF) showed very similar crystallinity to the cellulose. It has high stability against thermal degradation (maximum thermal decomposition temperature of 359.3$^{\circ}C$) and thermal expansion. Biocomposites reinforced with BRAF have been fabricated by a compression molding method and their mechanical and thermal properties have been studied. The storage modulus and the thermomechanical stability of PBS matrix are markedly improved with reinforcing the BRAF. These results support that the red algae fiber can be used as an excellent reinforcement of biocomposites as "green-composite" or "eco-composite".

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.70 no.2
• /
• pp.233-243
• /
• 2019

This paper depicts the development and characterizations of laminated composites made with cellulosic giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea) fiber mats and epoxy resin. Zirconia-toughened mullite (ZTM) is used as a filler material in the laminated composite which was prepared from sillimanite through plasma processing technique. The mechanical characterizations of this composite have been carried out as per ASTM standards to evaluate its usability as a structural material. The effects of varying weight percentages of the filler and two different fiber orientations namely, angle-ply [$+45^{\circ}/-45^{\circ}/+45^{\circ}$] and balanced cross-ply [$0^{\circ}/90^{\circ}/0^{\circ}$] on the physical and mechanical properties such as density, microhardness, impact strength, tensile strength and interlaminar shear strength of the layered composite specimens have been investigated. The study indicates that the inclusion of zirconia-toughened mullite in the composite laminate as filler improves its mechanical properties. Moreover, the use of giant cane fiber mat in the laminate is more eco-friendly than the synthetic fibers. This research also helps in generating additional data to enrich the repository of natural fiber reinforced laminated composites.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
• /
• v.18 no.8
• /
• pp.1899-1909
• /
• 1994

This work presents the experimental and FEM results for the free vibration of cantilevered, symmetrically and antisymmetrically laminated composite rectangular plates. The natural frequencies, mode shapes and contour plots of a number of CFRP, GFRP, DFRP-Aluminum, GFRP-Aluminum and DFRP-GFRP hybrid composite plates are experimentally obtained. Determination of Young's modulus and test procedures are described. The natural frequencies are determined for a wide range of parameters : e.g. , composite material constants, fiber angles and stacking sequences. Natural frequency and nondimensional frequency parameter results are compared with the finite element analysis and existing literatures. Agreement between experimental and calculated frequencies is excellent. The effects of varing the parameters upon the free vibration frequencies and mode shapes are discussed.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.60-67
• /
• 2018

In the present study, when the surface of kenaf, which is an environmentally friendly natural fiber, was treated by using adhesive solution containing Chemlok 402, the effects of fiber surface treatment, fiber content and fiber length on the cure characteristics, hardness, tensile modulus and abrasion resistance of kenaf/natural rubber composites were investigated. The kenaf fiber contents consisting of the composites were varied with 0, 5, 10, 15, and 29 phr at a fixed fiber length of 2 mm and also the fiber length was varied with 2, 35, and 70 mm at a fixed fiber content of 5 phr. The Tmax and tc90 values, Shore A hardness, tensile modulus, and abrasion resistance of natural rubber composites strongly depended on the kenaf fiber content and length. The characteristics of the composite with kenaf fibers treated with the adhesive solution containing Chemlok 402 were higher than those untreated. This is ascribed to the improved interfacial adhesion between the treated kenaf fiber and the rubber matrix. This study suggests that an appropriate use of adhesive solution may be possible to increase the properties of natural fiber-reinforced composites.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.27-36
• /
• 2005

Discharge capacity of the fiber mat and the fiber drain made with natural fibers abstracted from plant source was evaluated by permeability test for fiber mat and Delft type test and composite discharge capacity test using disturbed clayey soils for fiber drain. The permeability test results for environmentally friendly coconut fiber mat prove that fiber mat has outstanding permeability in substituting permeable sand. However, discharge capacity of fiber drain evaluated by conventional Delft type discharge capacity test was relatively lower than that of plastic drain board. Nevertheless, settlement and pore pressure dissipation behaviors of fiber drain and plastic drain board installed clay soil during the composite discharge capacity test were almost similar to that of plastic drain board. It is found that the natural fiber drain satisfies requiring minimum discharge capacity in substituting the conventional plastic drain board.

• Advanced Composite Materials
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.315-334
• /
• 2007

In the present study, chopped henequen natural fibers without and with surface modification by electron beam (E-beam) treatment were incorporated into a polypropylene matrix. Prior to composite fabrication, a bundle of raw henequen fibers were treated at various E-beam intensities from 10 kGy to 500 kGy. The effect of E-beam intensity on the interfacial, mechanical and thermal properties of randomly oriented henequen/polypropylene composites with the fiber contents of 40 vol% was investigated focusing on the interfacial shear strength, flexural and tensile properties, dynamic mechanical properties, thermal stability, and fracture behavior. Each characteristic of the material strongly depended on the E-beam intensity irradiated, showing an increasing or decreasing effect. The present study demonstrates that henequen fiber surfaces can be modified successfully with an appropriate dosage of electron beam and use of a low E-beam intensity of 10 kGy results in the improvement of the interfacial properties, flexural properties, tensile properties, dynamic mechanical properties and thermal stability of henequen/polypropylene composites.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.291-296
• /
• 2015

In this study, structural design and analysis of the automobile bonnet is performed. The flax/vinly ester composite material is applied for structural design. The Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding-Light (VARTML) manufacturing method is adopted for manufacturing the flax fiber composite bonnet. The VARTML is a manufacturing process that the resin is injected into the fly layered-up fibers enclosed by a rigid mold tool under vacuum. A series of flax/vinyl ester composite panels are manufactured, and several kinds of specimens cut out from the panels are tested to obtain mechanical performance data. Based on this, structural design of the automobile bonnet is performed.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.46-51
• /
• 2015

In this study, structural design and analysis of the automobile bonnet is performed. The flax/vinly ester composite material is applied for structural design. The Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding-Light (VARTML) manufacturing method is adopted for manufacturing the flax fiber composite bonnet. The VARTML is a manufacturing process that the resin is injected into the fly layered-up fibers enclosed by a rigid mold tool under vacuum. A series of flax/vinyl ester composite panels are manufactured, and several kinds of specimens cut out from the panels are tested to obtain mechanical performance data. Based on this, structural design of the automobile bonnet is performed.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.37 no.5
• /
• pp.613-617
• /
• 2013

The effects of nano size kenaf cellulose fiber on mechanical property of polypropylene (PP) composite were investigated. The addition of nano-kenaf in place of natural kenaf showed higher tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength, and heat deflection temperature compared to the natural kenaf filled PP composite, while it shows lower melt flow index, elongation%, and flexural modulus. These seemed to be due to the increased surface area of nano-kenaf fiber contacting PP matrix and reduced impurities such as volatile extractives on the fiber surface.