Fabrication, Mechanical Testing and Structural Simulation of Regenerated Cellulose Fabric Elium® Thermoplastic Composite System

Abstract

Regenerated cellulose fibres are an important part of the forest industry, and they can be used in the form of fabrics as reinforcement materials. Similar to the natural fibres (NFs), such as flax, hemp and jute, that are widely used in the automotive industry, these fibres possess good potential to be used for semi-structural applications. In this work, the mechanical properties of regenerated cellulose fabric-reinforced poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) (Elium®) composite were investigated and compared with those of its natural fibre composite counterparts. The developed composite demonstrated higher tensile strength and ductility, as well as comparable flexural properties with those of NF-reinforced epoxy and Elium® composite systems, whereas the Young’s modulus was lower. The glass transition temperature demonstrated a value competitive (107.7 °C) with that of other NF composites. Then, the behavior of the bio-composite under bending and loading was simulated, and a materials model was used to simulate the behavior of a car door panel in a flexural scenario. Modelling can contribute to predicting the structural behavior of the bio-based thermoplastic composite for secondary applications, which is the aim of this work. Finite element simulations were performed to assess the deflection and force transfer mechanism for the car door interior.

Exploring the potential of regenerated Ioncell fiber composites: a sustainable alternative for high-strength applications

“…The use of regenerated cellulose fibers and textiles as strengthening elements has been the subject of numerous investigations in composites, 26,27 but until now, the required research has not been conducted on regenerated cellulose fabric produced by Ioncell technology. However, one research has been conducted using the Ioncell-F filament form in unidirectional composites.…”

“…22,23 The main advantages of regenerated cellulose fiber as reinforcement material in the composite are its excellent uniformity, high tensile strength, good adhesion properties, and less defect. 24,25 The use of regenerated cellulose fibers and textiles as strengthening elements has been the subject of numerous investigations in composites, 26,27 but until now, the required research has not been conducted on regenerated cellulose fabric produced by Ioncell technology. However, one research has been conducted using the Ioncell-F filament form in unidirectional composites.…”

Mechanical Properties of Bio-Based Sandwich Composites Containing Recycled Polymer Textiles

“…Man-made regenerated fibers have been revealed to offer significant promise as reinforcements in thermoplastics for continuous [ 8 ] and short fiber systems [ 9 , 10 ]. They provide CO 2 neutrality, low density, biodegradability, and non-abrasiveness to manufacturing equipment, the same as natural fibers (NFs) [ 11 , 12 ].…”

“…In addition to these characteristics, they possess the uniform morphological structure, mechanical properties, and physical properties of synthetic fibers. Varying manufacturing techniques can be used to produce man-made regenerated fiber (rayon) thermoplastic composites, such as compression moulding, resin infusion [ 8 , 13 ], and injection moulding [ 10 , 14 , 15 ]. The flexural strength and modulus of rayon Elium ® composites obtained from the infusion technique were 93.5 MPa and 5.6 GPa, respectively [ 8 ].…”

“…Varying manufacturing techniques can be used to produce man-made regenerated fiber (rayon) thermoplastic composites, such as compression moulding, resin infusion [ 8 , 13 ], and injection moulding [ 10 , 14 , 15 ]. The flexural strength and modulus of rayon Elium ® composites obtained from the infusion technique were 93.5 MPa and 5.6 GPa, respectively [ 8 ]. The flexural modulus of rayon fiber PP composites after injection moulding was 3.88 GPa) [ 10 ].…”