Experimental Testing of Composite Panels Reinforced with Cotton Fibers

Abstract

A research project has been carried out at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, to develop composite panels reinforced with cotton fibers. The primary aim of the project is to examine the mechanical properties of such panels for use in secondary structural members such as wall or door systems. The use of natural fibers such as cotton, flax or sisal fibers has the primary advantage of being eco-friendly, low cost and low weight compared to glass fibers on the expense of lower structural properties. This paper presents results from experimental work on composite plates made from polyester resin reinforced with cotton fibers, with special attention given to the effect of the fiber type on the structural properties of the plates. The results from this study showed that the structural performance of cotton fiber composites is satisfactory for structural parts with low requirements, such as wall panels or doors. The present results for cotton fiber composites are also compared to testing results from previous studies on composites with flax/sisal fibers.

Biodegradable Poly(butylene succinate) Composites Reinforced by Cotton Fiber with Silane Coupling Agent

“…Use of this material as a reinforcing agent for polymeric matrices is favored because CF is strong and durable. Few studies using CF as reinforcement for polymer composites have been reported [13,14]. To our knowledge, no report has been published on PBS composites reinforced with silane-treated CF.…”

“…The carbon in the graphite, transferred from the blend samples, was ionized using a cesium cation beam. The ratio of 14 C to 12 C ( 14 A s ) in the composite samples was calculated from the measured concentrations of 14 C and 12 C. The measurement of the product's 14 Ar ( 14 C/ 12 C) was determined relative to the modern carbon-based oxalic acid radiocarbon [Standard Reference Material (SRM) 4990c, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), USA]. The ∆ 14 C, percent modern carbon (pMC), and biobased carbon ratio were calculated as follows:…”

Tensile and fatigue characterisation of textile cotton waste/polypropylene laminates

“…As regards the single filament, the main aspects are the significant presence of defects along the fibres (Figure 4a), which are likely to have been enhanced by the mercerization treatment of cotton fibres prior to use [17], and the characteristic twisting along the fibre section (Figure 4b). The end of the filaments show a clear tip with the presence of an obvious and very large lumen ( Figure 5), as it has been often reported for textile cotton fibres [18].…”

“…It has been reported in the literature how PVAc can be used as binder in natural fibres [16]: in particular, it has been recently demonstrated that the bamboo fibres can adsorb phenol formaldehyde (PF) based resin in a different content if PVAc is added in the emulsion used for the soaking and impregnation of the natural fibre [17]. A study on the introduction of cotton waste in recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) aimed at the production of compression moulded parts suggested the prominent importance of plasticizers, such as 2-phenyl phenol and glycerol, on the tensile and flexural properties of composites [18]. In this respect, a characterisation study was carried out also on cotton denim waste by simply compression moulding chopped fabric into a polypropylene matrix, with very limited fibre content (up to 10 wt.%).…”

Fatigue Testing of Wearable Sensing Technologies: Issues and Opportunities

“…While stretchability is necessary for strain sensors to be able to signal, repeatedly applying or removing the strain sensor could result in an extensive stretch that could damage the sensor; therefore, by adding a fabric substrate, the amount of stretch that can be achieved by the sensor is limited by its fabric substrate, reducing potential damage to the sensor during application or removal [165,166]. Cotton is an especially attractive option for wearable medical and telehealth sensors because cotton is hypoallergenic [167], ecofriendly [168][169][170], lightweight [170], costefficient [168,170,171], sustainable [168], and easily laundered [169,171]. In addition to these properties, cotton serves as a "blank canvas" that may be treated with antimicrobial agents-a property that is desirable when monitoring wound healing [167,[172][173][174][175][176][177][178][179].…”