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Abstract

Natural and synthetic fibers have been used increasingly as matrix reinforcements in various applications. While the latter is popular for its generally superior mechanical properties, natural fibers are environmental friendly and sustainable. As more businesses are inclined towards going green, natural fibers are gaining increasing attention in recent years, often as a substitute or as a complementary to glass fibers. However, its utilization is usually bound to applications in not requiring high mechanical performance. In this study, we investigate an extended use of natural fibers in polymeric composites to structural applications requiring higher mechanical performance, through hybridization with carbon fibers, aiming at a good balance between performance and sustainability. Having more than one fiber type in a polymer matrix gives greater flexibility in achieving optimal characteristics with a proper understanding of the material behavior and failure mechanics. Experimental investigation was carried out on various flax-carbon reinforced polymer hybrid systems fabricated using a custom-designed composites prepreg extrusion plant, suitable for large-scale industrial output, to impregnate fibers with a recyclable polymer, which are then hot-pressed, producing composite laminates with high fiber volume fraction. The reinforcing effect of carbon in flax-polypropylene composite at various carbon fibre loadings is determined with regards to the hybrid�s strength and stiffness under tension and bending.

Biography

Email: uk.me@nus.edu.sg