Assessing the long-term potential of fiber reinforced polymer composites for sustainable marine construction

Abstract

Fiber reinforced polymer composites (FRPC) have gain rapid interest as light-weight and corrosion-resistant materials for various applications in marine infrastructure. Despite their advantages, FRPCs are still susceptible to other environmental factors present in the marine environment and manufactured mostly from non-renewable materials. This greatly affects the overall economic and environmental sustainability of such components. To determine the long-term suitability of various FRPCs for use in marine environments, this paper provides a holistic comparison of the performance of 16 FRPCs (four fiber types: glass, carbon, natural, basalt; and four polymer resins: epoxy, polyester, vinylester, thermoplastic) not only from a technical, but also from an economic, environmental and resource perspective. The resulting ranking not only assesses each material’s long-term potential, but also provides a detailed overview of individual strengths and weaknesses. Although ranked the lowest of all materials, the partial renewability of the natural fiber composites makes them an interesting material in the longer term. Therefore, we use the framework to evaluate a number of approaches aimed at improving the overall performance of these composites.

An Overview of Natural Fiber Composites for Marine Applications

“…NFRP composites are in fact currently being manufactured on a relatively small scale compared to CFRP and GFRP composites, but the scale-up of production for NFRP composites will lead to a gradual decline in production costs. The usage of natural fiber reinforcement in the composite industry is expected to become more prevalent, with the utilization of natural fibers such as flax and hemp now considered a market reality for European manufacturers, and with advancements in research increasing the competitiveness of their mechanical properties in comparison to synthetic fibers and highlighting their edge in environmental value and specific properties, such as vibration damping [118][119][120].…”

“…Choosing a matrix with good fire resistance that is compatible with natural fibers is a key consideration, as NFRP composites score the lowest on fire performance in comparison with other FRP composites due to the degradation of the natural fibers' chemical components, such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin [231]. Natural fibers and the polymer matrix are usually both flammable, but they are both flammable at different temperatures and ignition rates, making it difficult to predict their combustion behavior [119,232].…”

A review on critical aspects of thermal shocks and thermal cycles in fiber reinforced polymer composites

“…Widespread applications of FRPCs covers almost all modern industries including automobiles, 56 marine applications, 5,57 aerospace, 58 civil structures, 59,60 armor equipment 61 and etc. All these structures undergo different environmental conditions during their service life.…”

“…The advantages of FRPCs, especially in physical/mechanical aspects, enable them to be employed in widespread applications such as civil infrastructures, 1 vehicle devices, 2 aeronautic/astronautic equipment, 3 biomedical applications 4 and marine structures. 5 Considering high strength to weight ratio, excellent impact strength, good corrosion resistance and high fatigue/damping properties, FRPCs are the best performed materials to provide desirable mechanical properties of many advanced engineering structures. 6 Some of the advanced modern applications of FRPCs are presented in Figure 1.…”

Mathematical morphology on directional data

“…Glass fibre reinforced polymers (GFRP) are frequently used in lightweight construction of, e.g., cars, planes, and wind power plants. In civil engineering, they have emerged as an alternative to steel reinforcement as they do not corrode in aggressive conditions such as marine environments [36]. GFRP materials are anisotropic and characterised by high tensile strength in the direction of the reinforcing fibres.…”