State research and development organisation the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is currently conducting a project to develop natural fibre- reinforced composites for potential use in the interiors of aircrafts.
The project follows South Africa’s resurgence in the global automotive industry and the interest of leading players in the aerospace industries for sourcing natural fibre reinforced composite products and technology from the country.
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) awarded the project to the CSIR’s materials science and manufacturing unit, in partnership with Airbus.
The project operates under the DST’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Strategy (AMTS) programme, and aims to fulfil the need for demanding technical applications in structural and exterior components of aircrafts.
The project is divided into two phases and will be conducted over a three-year period. Phase one started in March 2008 and will continue for another 16 months. Phase two will be executed over 18 months, following the completion of phase one.
CSIR materials science and manufacturing chief researcher
Dr Rajesh Anandjiwala says that natural fibre composites are regarded as a substitute for traditional materials and may hold the key to successfully tackling some of the challenges facing the automotive and aerospace industries in the context of the end-of-life of vehicle laws and the European Union’s clean-sky initiative.
Natural fibre reinforced composites have witnessed considerable growth in the last decade. “This can be attributed to their unique properties,” says Anandjiwala. He explains that these materials have potential weight-saving and thermal recycling advantages as well as a lower raw material price. The materials also hold ecological advantages, as they are renewable resources.
Anandjiwala says that the most important of the natural fibres used in composite materials are flax, hemp, jute, kenaf and sisal. These are readily available and offer good performance-to-price ratio.
Anandjiwala comments that flax, hemp, jute and kenaf are bast fibres, or fibrous materials, from within the bast of the plant. He adds that these fibres have more or less similar morphologies and can have similar functions in the composite industry.
These fibres are composed mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose and some lignin and are sometimes called lignocellulosic fibres. As a result, many nonstructural components for the automotive and other sectors are now made from natural fibre composite materials. These materials are largely based on poly- propylene, polyester and polyamide matrices incorporating natural fibres, such as flax, hemp, jute and kenaf, into the mix.
“However, the current applications of natural fibre reinforced composites are somewhat limited to nonstructural automotive components, partly because of the low impact properties and poor moisture resistance,” he says.
A reinforced team
Anandjiwala works closely with three postdoctorate researchers and other researchers on the natural fibre reinforced composite project. The researchers are currently involved in research pertaining to reinforced natural fibres.
Dr Paul Wambua is closely involved in the development of natural fibre composites for use in the nonstructural components of aircraft as well as the use of these fibres in the automotive industry. His postdoctoral research work focuses on manu- facturing and mechanical testing of the blast response and low-velocity impact on natural fibre and hybrid composites.
The aims of this research are to investigate the fibre’s impact energy absorption properties and the failure mechanisms of woven natural fibre-reinforced polypropylene composites and their hybrids.
Fibre reinforced composites are processed by compression moulding using different combinations of woven fabric layers of natural, glass and carbon fibres.
Tests are carried out to determine the energy absorption, crack development and other failures of the natural fibre composites after low velocity impact and explosive blast impact. The effect of hybridisation is also investigated.
In addition to this research, Dr Maya John, with a polymer chemistry background, focuses on the chemical modification of natural fibres like flax, hemp and sisal through suitable compatibilisers and biological coupling agents. The influence of processing conditions on the physical and chemical characteristics of natural fibres is also researched.
John is also involved in the fabrication of composites from needle-punched nonwoven fibres such as flax and kenaf, and thermoplastics by compression moulding.
Meanwhile, Dr Asis Patnaik is involved in mathematical modelling and computer-aided simulations, which are used to monitor and predict the characteristics of the materials under different stresses and situations. This aims to develop computer-based models for different physical phenomena involved in the actual applications of textile materials.
Anandjiwala says that the fundamental work proposed here for flexible fibrous assemblies would benefit the cross-fertilisation of scientific disciplines, such as mechanics of reinforced composite structures and mechanics of bio- medical devices.
Patnaik is also active in the development of computer-driven theoretical models to predict mechanical properties of natural fibre-reinforced composites by using finite element analysis. These models will be incorporated into the analysis of real-life problems through component modelling to predict the failure mechanism of computer-aided designs for the aerospace industry.
- Engineering News
The project follows South Africa’s resurgence in the global automotive industry and the interest of leading players in the aerospace industries for sourcing natural fibre reinforced composite products and technology from the country.
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) awarded the project to the CSIR’s materials science and manufacturing unit, in partnership with Airbus.
The project operates under the DST’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Strategy (AMTS) programme, and aims to fulfil the need for demanding technical applications in structural and exterior components of aircrafts.
The project is divided into two phases and will be conducted over a three-year period. Phase one started in March 2008 and will continue for another 16 months. Phase two will be executed over 18 months, following the completion of phase one.
CSIR materials science and manufacturing chief researcher
Dr Rajesh Anandjiwala says that natural fibre composites are regarded as a substitute for traditional materials and may hold the key to successfully tackling some of the challenges facing the automotive and aerospace industries in the context of the end-of-life of vehicle laws and the European Union’s clean-sky initiative.
Natural fibre reinforced composites have witnessed considerable growth in the last decade. “This can be attributed to their unique properties,” says Anandjiwala. He explains that these materials have potential weight-saving and thermal recycling advantages as well as a lower raw material price. The materials also hold ecological advantages, as they are renewable resources.
Anandjiwala says that the most important of the natural fibres used in composite materials are flax, hemp, jute, kenaf and sisal. These are readily available and offer good performance-to-price ratio.
Anandjiwala comments that flax, hemp, jute and kenaf are bast fibres, or fibrous materials, from within the bast of the plant. He adds that these fibres have more or less similar morphologies and can have similar functions in the composite industry.
These fibres are composed mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose and some lignin and are sometimes called lignocellulosic fibres. As a result, many nonstructural components for the automotive and other sectors are now made from natural fibre composite materials. These materials are largely based on poly- propylene, polyester and polyamide matrices incorporating natural fibres, such as flax, hemp, jute and kenaf, into the mix.
“However, the current applications of natural fibre reinforced composites are somewhat limited to nonstructural automotive components, partly because of the low impact properties and poor moisture resistance,” he says.
A reinforced team
Anandjiwala works closely with three postdoctorate researchers and other researchers on the natural fibre reinforced composite project. The researchers are currently involved in research pertaining to reinforced natural fibres.
Dr Paul Wambua is closely involved in the development of natural fibre composites for use in the nonstructural components of aircraft as well as the use of these fibres in the automotive industry. His postdoctoral research work focuses on manu- facturing and mechanical testing of the blast response and low-velocity impact on natural fibre and hybrid composites.
The aims of this research are to investigate the fibre’s impact energy absorption properties and the failure mechanisms of woven natural fibre-reinforced polypropylene composites and their hybrids.
Fibre reinforced composites are processed by compression moulding using different combinations of woven fabric layers of natural, glass and carbon fibres.
Tests are carried out to determine the energy absorption, crack development and other failures of the natural fibre composites after low velocity impact and explosive blast impact. The effect of hybridisation is also investigated.
In addition to this research, Dr Maya John, with a polymer chemistry background, focuses on the chemical modification of natural fibres like flax, hemp and sisal through suitable compatibilisers and biological coupling agents. The influence of processing conditions on the physical and chemical characteristics of natural fibres is also researched.
John is also involved in the fabrication of composites from needle-punched nonwoven fibres such as flax and kenaf, and thermoplastics by compression moulding.
Meanwhile, Dr Asis Patnaik is involved in mathematical modelling and computer-aided simulations, which are used to monitor and predict the characteristics of the materials under different stresses and situations. This aims to develop computer-based models for different physical phenomena involved in the actual applications of textile materials.
Anandjiwala says that the fundamental work proposed here for flexible fibrous assemblies would benefit the cross-fertilisation of scientific disciplines, such as mechanics of reinforced composite structures and mechanics of bio- medical devices.
Patnaik is also active in the development of computer-driven theoretical models to predict mechanical properties of natural fibre-reinforced composites by using finite element analysis. These models will be incorporated into the analysis of real-life problems through component modelling to predict the failure mechanism of computer-aided designs for the aerospace industry.
- Engineering News
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