Compression Molded, Bio-fiber Reinforced, High Performance Thermoset Composites for Structural and Semi-structural Applications

Major goals for the future of transportation materials include reduced weight of components, reduced cost of materials and increased use of renewable content. Reinforcement of transportation composites with plant fibers has the potential to decrease component weight relative to glass fiber reinforcement, reduce cost of materials relative to carbon fiber reinforcement, and significantly increase the fraction of composite components from a renewable source. Barriers to widespread application of natural fiber reinforced components in structural and semi-structural vehicle applications have included the natural propensity of these materials to uptake moisture and the corresponding loss of mechanical properties with exposure to moisture. Through novel advances in fiber treatment, processing and molding to address moisture absorption and resin interfacing, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is reducing these barriers. Herein we demonstrate natural fiber reinforced composites that are 1) composed of more than 50wt% renewable content, 2) weigh 17% less than glass fiber composites with the same fiber volume, and 3) exhibit wet mechanical properties suitable for semi-structural application. Lower cost, lower energy in production, and reduced greenhouse gas production are anticipated advantages of the described PNNL technologies. Background and Requirements The 2010 Technology-Specific US Department of Energy Research Goals for Materials[1] include material and manufacturing technologies for high-volume production vehicles which enable/support the simultaneous attainment of:  50% reduction in the weight of the vehicle structure and subsystems