abstract: This study investigates the fabrication and mechanical properties of semicontinuous, hemp fiber reinforced thermoset composites. This research determines if off-the-shelf refined woven hemp fabric is suitable as composite reinforcement using resin pre-impregnated method. Industrial hemp was chosen for its low cost, low resource input as a crop, supply chain from raw product to refined textile and biodegradability potential. Detail is placed on specimen fabrication considerations. Lab testing of tension and compression is conducted and optimization considerations are examined. The resulting composite is limited in mechanical properties as tested. This research shows it is possible to use woven hemp reinforcement in pre-impregnated processed composites, but optimization in mechanical properties is required to make the process commercially practical outside niche markets. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S.Tech Engineering 2012

Pour des raisons liées au confort, les constructions modernes exigent des matériaux isolants acoustiques et thermiques, offrant de bonnes performances mécaniques. Dans ce cadre, la valorisation des fibres végétales issues de l’industrie agro-alimentaire, présente des avantages économiques et environnementaux. C’est ainsi que, la présente étude a pour objectif le développement d’un agro-composite multifonctionnel à base de fibres de canne à sucre, alliant de bonnes propriétés acoustiques et mécaniques.Les renforts étudiés présentent des distributions morphologiques (longueur et diamètre) pouvant être approchées par une loi log-normale. De plus, leur comportement hygroscopique révèle une forte capacité de reprise en eau (23%) en fonction de l’humidité relative et de la température, même si la masse volumique reste constante, malgré l’hétérogénéité des fibres.Les composites thermo-comprimés avec une matrice époxy, ont été caractérisés à l’aide d’un plan d’expériences ayant pour paramètres le diamètre des fibres (entre 0,5 et 4 mm) et leur taux massique (entre 40 et 70%). L’analyse de la microstructure révèle une isotropie dans le plan de fabrication et une anisotropie transverse. L’étude des propriétés acoustiques a montré que l’absorption sonore augmente avec le diamètre des fibres, tout en diminuant avec leur proportion massique, sur une gamme de fréquences comprises entre 500 et 1000 Hz. La caractérisation mécanique par des essais de flexion, a montré un comportement fragile, avec des écarts de raideur et d’effort maximal de l’ordre de 30%. En flexion, les matériaux dont le diamètre et le taux massique de fibres sont élevés ont les propriétés mécaniques optimales. De plus, l’analyse par stéréo-corrélation d’images a révélé un gradient de déformations non linéaire dans l’épaisseur de l’éprouvette, dû à l’hétérogénéité du matériau. Cette analyse a permis de montrer qu’une localisation des déformations normales conduit à la rupture de l’éprouvette. Par ailleurs, les essais de compression ont souligné l’anisotropie des matériaux et ont montré que les propriétés optimales sont obtenues pour des matériaux dont le taux massique de fibres se situe autour de 55% avec les fibres les plus fines. Enfin, un outil a été mis en place afin de trouver un compromis entre les propriétés mécaniques et acoustiques. / For reasons of comfort, modern constructions require acoustic and thermal insulating materials, offering good mechanical performances. In this context, the valorization of plant fibres from the agro-food industry presents economic and environmental benefits. Thus, the aim of the present study is to develop a multifunctional sugarcane fibres reinforced epoxy porous composite combining good acoustic and mechanical properties.The study of the bagasse fibres geometry has shown that fibres’ length and diameter distribution can be fitted by lognormal laws. Composites manufactured by thermocompression process with an epoxy matrix were characterized using an experimental design whose parameters were the diameter of the fibres (between 0.5 and 4 mm) and their mass ratio (between 40 and 70%). The study of acoustic properties showed that the sound absorption increases with the diameter of the fibres, while decreasing with their mass proportion, over a frequency range between 500 and 1000 Hz. Mechanical characterisation by bending tests, has showed a fragile behavior, with deviations of stiffness and maximum stress around 36%. The stereo-correlation image analysis confirmed the heterogeneity of the strain fields throughout the thickness, in relation to the fracture observation.

La présente étude traite de l’éco-conception d’une pièce structurale, de type poutre tubulaire, en stratifié bio-composite à base de fibres de lin. A cette pièce à concevoir est associé un cas de charge mécanique combinant flexion et torsion et une tenue face aux produits détergents-décontaminant utilisés en environnement médical. Cette étude a pour objectif de montrer la faisabilité d’employer comme architecture de renfort, une mèche de lin pour la réalisation de la pièce. Ce renfort a la particularité d’être constitué de fibres alignées dont la cohésion est assurée par la présence d’un liant par opposition aux fils constituées de fibres retordues. Tout d’abord, pour établir un cahier des charges de fabrication à partir de ceux déjà en vigueur, le comportement mécanique du bio-composite à l’échelle du pli, puis à celui du stratifié et enfin à l’échelle de la poutre stratifié a été modélisé et des critères de conception et de dimensionnement portant sur la rigidité en flexion et en torsion ont été développés de façon analytique. Associée à cette approche et au choix du renfort, le procédé d’enroulement filamentaire a été retenu pour la mise en oeuvre de la pièce. Afin de montrer la compatibilité de la mèche en entrée et le procédé sélectionné, une étude du comportement en traction de la mèche visant à étudier l’effet des paramètres du procédé sur les propriétés mécaniques de la mèche a été réalisée. Cette deuxième phase a été poursuivie par la réalisation de prototypes, suivant le cahier des charges de fabrication établit, qui ont ensuite été analysés en termes de qualité et de performances mécaniques. La corrélation entre ces résultats et ceux obtenus par l’étape de dimensionnement a permis de valider l’approche. Enfin, dans le but d’intégrer l’interaction avec l’environnement opératoire dans le dimensionnement de la pièce, une étude de la durabilité a été réalisée. Celle-ci permet d’établir des stratégies de dimensionnement pour répondre à l’application. / This study aims at eco-designing a structural part, of a hollow beam type, using a laminated flax fibre based bio-composite. The part needs to satisfy a given bending and torsion load case and show compatibility with the cleaning products used in the medical environment. The objective of the study is to investigate the potential of using a flax tow as the reinforcement input for the manufacturing of the beam. The particularity of the reinforcement is that it consists of an assembly of aligned flax fibres held together by a binder as opposed to spun yarns. First, in order to establish the required manufacturing specifications, the mechanical behaviour of the bio-composite at the ply scale, at the laminated and finally at the laminated beam scale was modelled. From this modelling, design and dimensioning criteria based on bending and torsional stiffness were developed analytically. Combining this approach with the choice of the reinforcement, the wet-filament winding process was chosen to manufacture the part. Thus, the tensile behaviour of the flax tow was studied in relation to the process parameters to demonstrate their compatibility. This second phase was followed by the manufacturing of prototypes according the established specifications which were then analysed in terms of quality and mechanical performance. The correlation between experimental results and the model predictions was used to validate the dimensioning approach. Finally and in order to incorporate the interaction of the part with the environment, a durability study was conducted. The latter allows to put forward different dimensioning strategies to meet the required specification.

Bio-composite hierarchical materials have attracted the interest of the academic community operating in the field of bio-inspired materials for their outstanding mechanical properties achieved via lightweight structural designs. Antler and mantis shrimp's cuticle are extreme examples of materials naturally optimised to resist impacts and bear dynamic loading. Firstly, a class of finite-element fibril models was developed to explain the origin of heterogeneous fibrillar deformation and hysteresis from the nanostructure of antler. Results were compared to synchrotron X-ray data and demonstrated that the key structural motif enabling a match to experimental data is an axially staggered arrangement of stiff mineralised collagen fibrils coupled with weak, damageable interfibrillar interfaces. Secondly, the cuticle of the crustacean Odontodactylus scyllarus, known as peacock mantis shrimp, was investigated. At the nanoscale it consists of mineralised chitin fibres and calcified protein matrix, which form plywood layers at the microscale. Lamination theory was used to calculate fibrillar deformation and reorientation and, in addition, an analytical formulation was used to decouple in-plane fibre reorientation from diffraction intensity changes induced by 3D lamellae tilting. This animal also attracted my attention for using its hammer-like appendages to attack and destroy the shells of prey with a sequence of two strikes. Inspired by this double impact strategy, I performed a set of parametric finite-element simulations of single, double and triple mechanical hits, to compute the damage energy of the target. My results reveal that the crustacean attack strategy has the most damaging effect among the double impact cases, and lead me to hypothesise, that optimal damaging dynamics exists, depending on the sequence of consecutive impacts and on their time separation values. These new insights may provide useful indications for the design of bio-inspired materials for high load-bearing applications.

The purpose of this research work was to develop novel continuous bio-composite fibres with a combination of wood pulp or lignin and synthetic polymers, using continuous electrospinning and extrusion processes. The electrospun composite fibres have potential application in filtration, wound dressing, non-woven fabrics and support of thin polymeric separation membranes. Lignin fibres could be used for the development of carbon fibres. Two types of polyethylene oxide electronspun composite fibres (300-600 nm in diameter) were formulated using treated and untreated wood fibre. The optimum polymer solution concentration (7 wt.%) and addition of 5 wt.% wood pulp were found to produce uniform composite fibres. Superior dispersion and orientation were obtained with acetylated wood pulp as compared to untreated fibres. Similarly, wood pulp and nylon 6,6 based bio-composite fibres were generated successfully by electrospinning process. In this study solution concentration was found to be a critical parameter in regulating the diameter of fibres. Bio-composite fibres were developed from wood pulp and polypropylene (PP) by an extrusion process and subsequently characterized by various techniques. Tensile properties of composite fibres were improved by addition of maleated polypropylene (MAPP) and wood pulp. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy provided the nature of chemical interaction between wood pulp reinforcement and PP matrix. Scanning electron microscopy results revealed that MAPP treatment was effective in increasing reinforcing fibre-matrix compatibility. X-ray computed tomography showed that the fibre becomes more aligned along the length axis possibly due to compression and die geometry of the extruder. Finally, blended lignin fibres (hardwood lignin/polyethylene oxide) were successfully developed by an extrusion process. Softening temperature and glass transition temperature of lignin were measured by differential scanning calorimetry which was helpful in selecting an optimal temperature profile for the extrusion process. Rheological studies provided information about the viscosity of hardwood lignin which was useful in producing lignin fibres.

The purpose of this research work was to develop novel continuous bio-composite fibres with a combination of wood pulp or lignin and synthetic polymers, using continuous electrospinning and extrusion processes. The electrospun composite fibres have potential application in filtration, wound dressing, non-woven fabrics and support of thin polymeric separation membranes. Lignin fibres could be used for the development of carbon fibres. Two types of polyethylene oxide electronspun composite fibres (300-600 nm in diameter) were formulated using treated and untreated wood fibre. The optimum polymer solution concentration (7 wt.%) and addition of 5 wt.% wood pulp were found to produce uniform composite fibres. Superior dispersion and orientation were obtained with acetylated wood pulp as compared to untreated fibres. Similarly, wood pulp and nylon 6,6 based bio-composite fibres were generated successfully by electrospinning process. In this study solution concentration was found to be a critical parameter in regulating the diameter of fibres. Bio-composite fibres were developed from wood pulp and polypropylene (PP) by an extrusion process and subsequently characterized by various techniques. Tensile properties of composite fibres were improved by addition of maleated polypropylene (MAPP) and wood pulp. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy provided the nature of chemical interaction between wood pulp reinforcement and PP matrix. Scanning electron microscopy results revealed that MAPP treatment was effective in increasing reinforcing fibre-matrix compatibility. X-ray computed tomography showed that the fibre becomes more aligned along the length axis possibly due to compression and die geometry of the extruder. Finally, blended lignin fibres (hardwood lignin/polyethylene oxide) were successfully developed by an extrusion process. Softening temperature and glass transition temperature of lignin were measured by differential scanning calorimetry which was helpful in selecting an optimal temperature profile for the extrusion process. Rheological studies provided information about the viscosity of hardwood lignin which was useful in producing lignin fibres.

No description available.

Present day composite sandwich panels provide incredible strength. Their largest problem, however, is early bonding failure between the core and the skin. This is due to the low bonding surface area of present cores like honeycomb. Corrugated structures could provide a remedy for this with their much larger bonding surface area. Corrugated structures have extreme mechanical properties deeming them particularly useful in aerospace and automotive applications. However, previous research has shown that the stiffness of carbon fiber causes debonding and drastic failure when used as both a core and a skin. Bio-composites have properties that could strengthen the corrugated sandwich panel against such debonding and increase the strength of the structure while making it cheaper and more environmentally friendly. This thesis presents the optimum design, manufacturing, and testing of corrugated sandwich panel structures with integrated bio-composites under edgewise compression loading. To do this, optimum corrugation geometry was identified using theoretical analysis of the moment and bonding area of the shape. Control tests with carbon fiber and hemp were conducted. The bio-composite was integrated in both the core and the skin individually in corrugated sandwich panels. The cases tested were all-carbon fiber, hemp skin with carbon fiber core, carbon fiber skin with hemp core, and all-hemp. These corrugated structures were analyzed by conducting compression loading tests on varying lengths of single-ligament panels utilizing trapezoidal corrugation as the core and a flat plate as the skin. The lengths tested were 1, 2, 3, and 4 inches. As many samples as possible were manufactured out of limited material with heavier focus on creating the shorter samples. The goal of this testing was, first, to determine if hemp fibers were viable as a substitute for certain sections of the traditional composite structure, and second, to see if integrating hemp fibers would solve the problems of debonding seen in the all-carbon fiber samples seen in previous research. To determine mechanical property viability, the ultimate load and stiffness were investigated for each sample, as well as investigation of the failure modes seen in the test. Secondary goals were to see at what length buckling behavior became an issue and to see if this corrugated structure and all its failure modes could be simulated in finite element analysis. At the 1-inch and 2-inch lengths where minimal buckling was encountered, the hemp core-carbon skin samples showed better results than both the all-carbon fiber and the all-hemp samples with a 4% and 6% increase in average ultimate load and a 11% and 47% increase in stiffness, respectively. From these results, it was concluded that hybrid bio-composite structures can have comparable mechanical properties to traditional composites and can solve bonding failure.

L’étude présentée porte sur la caractérisation et la comparaison des propriétés quasi-statiques et en fatigue de composites à fibres de lin et de verre avec une matrice époxy. Une importante campagne d’essais de fatigue a été réalisée à partir des propriétés quasi-statiques de traction et cisaillement plan mesurées. Il apparaît que les caractéristiques en statique et en fatigue du verre/époxy sont supérieures à celles du lin/époxy à taux de fibres et stratification identiques. Cependant, en raison de la faible densité des renforts de lin, les écarts entre les propriétés spécifiques des deux matériaux sont faibles. La mesure de l’évolution des propriétés en fatigue a mis à jour des comportements phénoménologiques particuliers tels que la diminution de l’amortissement et l’augmentation de la rigidité des lin/époxy  ayant des fibres parallèles à la direction du chargement, au cours de la vie des éprouvettes. Le suivi de l’endommagement par la mesure des densités de fissures montre que celle-ci augmente avec le chargement et le nombre de cycles appliqués. Les simulations par éléments finis de la durée de vie des composites lin/époxy, intégrant la variabilité des paramètres du modèle par la méthode Monté-Carlo, donnent des courbes de Wöhler conservatives par rapport aux données expérimentales. Conformément aux mesures expérimentales, la variabilité des durées de vie calculées diminue lorsque le chargement baisse / The present study focuses on the characterization and comparison of the quasi-static and fatigue properties of flax and glass fibre reinforced composites with an epoxy matrix. An extensive experimental campaign of fatigue tests have been performed using the measured quasi-static tension and in plane-shear properties. It appears that the static and fatigue characteristics of the glass/epoxy composites are higher than that of flax/epoxy ones with similar fibre volume fraction and lay-ups. However, due to the low density of flax reinforcements, the differences between the specific properties of the two materials are low. The measurement of the evolution of the fatigue properties has highlighted particular phenomenological behaviours such as the decrease of the damping and the increase of the stiffness of flax/epoxy composites having fibres parallel to the loading direction, during specimens’ life. The monitoring of material damage by measuring the crack density showed its increase with the loading level and the number of cycles applied. Finite elements simulations of the life cycle of flax/epoxy composites, incorporating the variability of the model’s parameters by Monte Carlo method, gave conservative Wöhler curves compared with experimental data. In agreement with the experimental measurements, the variability of lifetimes calculated decreases when the load decreases

La présente étude traite de l'éco-conception d'une pièce structurale, de type poutre tubulaire, en stratifié bio-composite à base de fibres de lin. A cette pièce à concevoir est associé un cas de charge mécanique combinant flexion et torsion et une tenue face aux produits détergents-décontaminant utilisés en environnement médical. Cette étude a pour objectif de montrer la faisabilité d'employer comme architecture de renfort, une mèche de lin pour la réalisation de la pièce. Ce renfort a la particularité d'être constitué de fibres alignées dont la cohésion est assurée par la présence d'un liant par opposition aux fils constituées de fibres retordues. Tout d'abord, pour établir un cahier des charges de fabrication à partir de ceux déjà en vigueur, le comportement mécanique du bio-composite à l'échelle du pli, puis à celui du stratifié et enfin à l'échelle de la poutre stratifié a été modélisé et des critères de conception et de dimensionnement portant sur la rigidité en flexion et en torsion ont été développés de façon analytique. Associée à cette approche et au choix du renfort, le procédé d'enroulement filamentaire a été retenu pour la mise en oeuvre de la pièce. Afin de montrer la compatibilité de la mèche en entrée et le procédé sélectionné, une étude du comportement en traction de la mèche visant à étudier l'effet des paramètres du procédé sur les propriétés mécaniques de la mèche a été réalisée. Cette deuxième phase a été poursuivie par la réalisation de prototypes, suivant le cahier des charges de fabrication établit, qui ont ensuite été analysés en termes de qualité et de performances mécaniques. La corrélation entre ces résultats et ceux obtenus par l'étape de dimensionnement a permis de valider l'approche. Enfin, dans le but d'intégrer l'interaction avec l'environnement opératoire dans le dimensionnement de la pièce, une étude de la durabilité a été réalisée. Celle-ci permet d'établir des stratégies de dimensionnement pour répondre à l'application.