Flax/PP manufacture by automated fibre placement (AFP)

Type Article
Date 2016-03
Language English
Author(s) Baley Christophe1, Kervoelen Antoine1, Lan Marine1, Cartie Denis2, Le Duigou Antoine1, Bourmaud Alain1, Davies PeterORCID3
Affiliation(s) 1 : Univ South Brittany, LIMATB, Rue St Maude, F-56000 Lorient, France.
2 : Coriolis Composites SAS, Rue Condorcet, F-56350 Za Du Mourillon, Queven, France.
3 : IFREMER, Ctr Bretagne, Technopole Brest Iroise, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
Source Materials & Design (0261-3069) (Elsevier Sci Ltd), 2016-03 , Vol. 94 , P. 207-213
DOI 10.1016/j.matdes.2016.01.011
WOS© Times Cited 20
Keyword(s) Structural composites, AFP, Biocomposites, Flax, PP
Abstract Automated fibre placement (AFP) has been used to manufacture flax/polypropylene biocomposites for the first time. This required preparation of tape with a calibrated width from impregnated fibre sheets. The unidirectional tapes showed polymer-rich zones on the surface. During manufacture the polypropylene (PP) is melted locally with a laser. A consolidation step in a hot press is then required to reduce void content. The flax fibres, composed of polysaccharides, have limited thermal resistance so optimization of the thermal cycle is necessary, but subsequent characterization of mechanical behaviour showed no evidence of property loss in spite of an additional melting cycle. AFP appears to be a promising manufacturing method for biocomposites.
Full Text
File Pages Size Access
Author's final draft 34 2 MB Open access
7 2 MB Access on demand
Top of the page