The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of kenaf fiber orientation and furnish formulation on the properties of laminated natural fiber–polymer composites (LNPC). The uniaxial fiber orientation provided property enhancement of the LNPC. The randomly oriented kenaf fibers, regardless of fiber contents in the laminates, provided an equal performance compared to the composites ma...

One of the greatest impediments to use polymer-matrix composites is their susceptibility to degradation when exposed to the elevated temperatures and the limited knowledge on the thermal and mechanical properties of these composites at such temperatures. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of accelerated heat aging on the tensile properties of the Woven Basalt/Phenolic (WBP) ...

BACKGROUND Polylactic acid (PLA) is considered to be a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based polymers for many applications. Using cellulose fiber to reinforce PLA is of great interest recently due to its complete biodegradability and potential improvement of the mechanical performance. However, the dispersion of hydrophilic cellulose fibers in the hydrophobic polymer matrix is usually poo...

This paper addresses the property requirements of repair materials for high durability performance for concrete structure repair. It is proposed that the high tensile strain capacity of High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites (HPFRCC) makes such materials particularly suitable for repair applications, provided that the fresh properties are also adaptable to those required in p...

Hydroxyapatite (HA) whisker reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK) composites have been investigated as bioactive materials for load-bearing orthopedic implants with tailored mechanical properties governed by the volume fraction, morphology, and preferred orientation of the HA whisker reinforcements. Therefore, the objective of this study was to establish key structure-property relationships an...

A set of edge-gated and center-gated plaques were injection molded with long carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites, and the fiber orientation was measured at different locations of the plaques. Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Insight (ASMI) software was used to simulate the injection molding of these plaques and to predict the fiber orientation, using the Anisotropic Rotary Diffusion an...

The use of composite materials is growing more and more every day in several applications. The arrangement or orientation of the fibers relative to one another have a significant influence on the strength and other properties of fiber reinforced composites. Thus, evaluation techniques are needed for measuring material fiber orientation. In this work Infrared Thermography is employed to assess t...

Alpha-grass was studied as the reinforcement in a starch-based polymer matrix. Mater-bi®-Y was chosen as a matrix due to its Young’s modulus, in line with that of polypropylene. The test specimens were injection molded and tensile tested. The obtained results were compared to glass fiber reinforced polypropylene. The reinforcing fibers increased the Young’s modulus significantly, obtaining valu...

This study proposes a new comprehensive theoretical approach for predicting tensile stress-strain relation of Random Short Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites (RSFRCC) showing Pseudo Strain Hardening (PSH). This approach is grounded on solid basis of micromechanics, which describes PSH phenomenon in terms of constitutive properties of fiber, matrix, and fiber/matrix interface. The proposed model...

This paper is a summary report based on the discussion of JCI-DFRCC committee. The paper attempts to summarize the terminologies related to DFRCCs and the structural advantages and application concepts of DFRCCs. The attempt is made for the purpose of further discussion at JCI International Workshop on Ductile Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites -Application and Evaluationheld in 2002 at T...