Wood-Based Prepreg For Composite Laminates

Abstract

A wood-based prepreg was formed using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) and a low-viscosity thermoplastic resin. Wood strands were assembled to make a porous mat for resin injection. The resin filled most of the cavities inside the wood cells resulting in a void volume fraction of 7%. The Young's modulus and strength of the saturated wood strands were 38% and 124% higher, respectively, than those of wood strands prior to resin infusion. Flat laminates were produced by thermoforming prepreg plies at 180 C and 830 kPa, for 25 min. The Young's modulus and strength of flat 12-ply laminates were 73% and 20% higher, respectively, than a wood-strand panel produced using compression resin transfer molding (CRTM) and epoxy resin. Wood prepreg shows promise as an alternative to traditional wood composite forming processes, with the potential to simplify the manufacture of complex shapes, while improving the properties of the natural material.

Wood-Poly(furfuryl Alcohol) Prepreg: A Novel, Ecofriendly Laminate Composite

“…In this sense, the tensile strength for the three-layer and four-layer composites were 43.8 MPa and 59.6 MPa, respectively. Those values were higher than the ones obtained by Mohammadabadi et al [6], who manufactured wood-based prepregs for composite laminates using wood strands and thermoplastic resin, obtaining a tensile strength of 32 MPa. However, the same authors also reported a higher tensile modulus (~13.40 GPa) than the ones obtained in this research (7.15 and 7.29 GPa).…”

“…Thus, in recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the development of prepregs that incorporate renewable and biodegradable materials. In this sense, sustainable materials, such as wood veneers [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ] or natural fibers, as potential reinforcement materials in prepregs are being explored [ 10 , 11 , 12 ], offering benefits such as reduced environmental impact, increased biodegradability, and renewability.…”

“…Moreover, wood veneers are promising materials for prepregs given their excellent mechanical properties, high stiffness, low weight, low carbon footprint, and renewability. In fact, Mohammadabadi et al [ 6 ] employed vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) in combination with low-viscosity thermoplastic resin to fabricate wood-based prepregs. Their findings demonstrate encouraging outcomes, suggesting that this approach serves as a viable alternative to conventional wood-composite-forming techniques.…”

“…However, the use of natural fibers may complicate the production of composite panel products with complex geometries for high-end applications, such as in the automotive and aerospace industries [ 6 ]. Conversely, wood veneers have an advantage over other natural fibers and have great potential for industrial proposes given their eco-friendliness and lightweight composite properties.…”

“…Conversely, wood veneers have an advantage over other natural fibers and have great potential for industrial proposes given their eco-friendliness and lightweight composite properties. In fact, Mohammadabad et al [ 6 ] studied thermoplastic wood-based prepreg using the VARTM process and stated that low-viscosity resins may result in high-performance thin-wood prepregs. In this sense, the main disadvantage of wood veneers, as well as natural fibers, is their low permeability compared with traditional materials for this purpose, e.g., the permeability of wood veneers is 100 times lower than glass fibers [ 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”