NATURAL FIBER COMPOSITES FOR AUTOMOTIVES

Submitted to:Dr. R. Alagirusamy

Presented by:Vijay S Khoiwal (2010TTE3678)

When two or more materials with very different properties are combined together they form a composite material.

      

Costs Reduction Reduced material scrap Automated Processing Technologies Reduction of Vehicle Weight Reduction of Fuel Consumption Greatly improved recyclability Environmental Protection. Reduction of CO2 emissions

Composite material is a composed of two distinct phase Matrix phase

 Organic matrix composite  Metal matrix composite  Ceramic matrix composite

Reinforcing phase
 Fibrous composite  Liminate composite

 In the composite materials where natural fibres are the reinforcing material.

1) Environmental reasons: Renewable resources Thermally recyclable, biodegradable, Low energy consumption 2) Cost: often low cost (not silk) 3) Health & safety: more pleasant to handle 4) Good specific mechanical properties 5) Good thermal & acoustic insulation property

Low impact strength Possibility of degradation, biological attack of fungi and mildew. Fibres are hydrophilic Issues of compatibility with polymers Sensitive to humidity UV resistance not better than plastics

Fibre type

Density (g/cc)

Tensile strength (MPa)

Tensile Modulus (GPa)

Sp. Modulus (GPa cc/g)

Jute Sisal Flax

1.4 1.3 1.5

393 510 344

55 28 27

38 22 50

 Hand lay-up  Filament winding  Resin transfer moulding  Pultrusion  Continuous lamination

Advantage: High flexibility,  Simplicity  Cheap tooling

Disadvantage: Long production time  Poor possibilities for automation  Labor intensive

 The technique enables the manufacture of very large products with high mechanical properties. Pressing the mats with a small amount of binder into a more compact shape Better resin flow can then be obtained by using the thicker leaf fibers like sisal

Pultruded pr file

Composite laminates are produced in a continuous way up to a width of 3 m and with infinite length. Bonded on two sides of a foam block they build stiff sandwich panels that are used a lot in trucks, trailers and building construction.

 High rigidity combined with higher strength to weight ratio  Smoother exterior  Better stability  High load carrying capacity  Increased fatigue life  Crack growth and fracture toughness characteristics are better compared to solid laminates  High load bearing ability

Tensile strength for composites based on different fiber materials and pure PP in comparison to tensile strength for separate fibers (white bars).

Flax sisal
Door cladding floor panels seatback linings

hemp

coconut
Seal bottoms back c s ions Head restraints

Wood fiber
Seal back Floor body panels

Abaca

Typical amounts of plant fibers used for different applications the automotive industry are:

1.2-1.8 kg 0.8-1.5 kg 1.5-2.5 kg Up to 2.0 kg 1.6-2.0 kg Up to 0.4 kg Avg. 2.5 kg

Front door lines

Rear door linens
Boot linens Parcel shelves Seat backs Sunroof sliders headliners

Volkswagen: back of seats,door panels, trunk panels Audi: back of seats, side panels, trunk covering, speakers holders  BMW: door panels, headliners, trunk floor panel  Daimler Chrysler: door panels, business tables, padding-pillars reinforcing, dashboard parts Opel: headliners, door panels, dashboard parts Peugeot: back of seats, trunk coverings Mercedes Benz trucks: front sections for the trucks.

Renault Ellypse concept car: natural fibres for acoustic damping

Flax-Carbon hybrid bike (JEC 2007) (prepreg technology)

A flax-reinforced car roof

Mixed NF PP inner door panel(s)

Natural fibers such as banana, bamboo, and jute fibers use for the automotive interiors to reduce noise.
The blend proportions were: . Bamboo/Polypropylene in the ratio of 50 : 50 . Banana/Polypropylene in the ratio of 50 : 50 . Jute/Polypropylene in the ratio of 50 : 50

1. Rajesh D. Anandjiwala and Sunshine Blouw, composite from bast fibres prospects and potential in the changing market environment , composite from bast fibre, 1 (22) 2. Peijs T., Composites for recyclability , Materials today, vol.6, No. 4, 30-35 (2003). 3. W. D. (Rik) Brouwer, Natural Fibre Composites in Structural Components: Alternative Applications for Sisal? ,http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y1873E/y1873e0a.htm#bm10. 4. Dieter H. Mueller and Andreas Krobjilowski New Discovery in the Properties of Composites Reinforced with Natural fibers , Journal of Industrial Textiles 2003; 33; 111. 5. Bledzki, A.K. and Gassan, J. (1999). Composites Reinforced with Cellulose Based Fibers , Progress in Polymer Science, 24: 221 274. 6. Paul A Fowler, J Mark Hughes and Robert M Elias Review Biocomposites: technology, environmental credentials and market forces, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture J Sci Food Agric 86:1781 1789 (2006) 7. Ulrich Riedel, Jorg Nickel Applications of Natural Fiber Composites for Constructive Parts in Aerospace, Automobiles, and Other Areas

8. Ulrich Riedel, natural fibre reinforced biopolymers as construction , 2nd International Wood and Natural Fibre Composites Symposium June 28-29, 1999 in Kassel/Germany 9. Mueller, Dieter H. and Krobjilowski, A. (2002). Optimized Car Interiors made of Reinforced Composites Comparison Between Natural Fiber and Glass Fiber Composites, In: Proceedings of the INTC International Nonwovens Technical Conference, Atlanta, Georgia/USA, September 24 26th. 10. Alireza Ashori Wood plastic composites as promising green-composites for automotive industries! , Bioresource Technology 99 (2008) 4661 4667