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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 environmentally friendly and sustainable. As more businesses are inclining towards going green, natural fibers have been 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 not requiring high mechanical performance. In this study, we investigate an extended use of natural fiber-reinforced 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 can potentially give greater flexibility in achieving optimal material behavior and failure characteristics. 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 hybrid composite�s strengh and stiffness under tension and bending is assessed at various carbon fibre loadings to study the reinforcing effect of carbon in flax-polypropylene composite.

Biography

Email: uk.me@nus.edu.sg