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Manufacture and Testing of 3D Woven Natural Fibre Composites

This collaborative paper reports new developments in the design, manufacture and testing of 3D reinforced natural fibre woven composites with structural strength potential. It discusses the 3D weave architectures used, details the Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding composite processing method and highlights the challenges of producing structural thermoset epoxy composites from naturally derived yarns such as flax and viscose rayon. It also introduces 3D woven composites embedded in a bio-derived resin, produced at Centre Composite Materials Delaware, USA and a flax-epoxy composite demonstrator produced in conjunction with the University of Warwick’s World's First Sustainable Racing Car project (2009). This conference paper and oral presentation disseminated some milestone goals reached during the AHRC funded research project developing natural fibre composite materials (AHE007953/1 2007-09), led by Soden/Brennan.

This was a cross-discipline collaboration between textile design and engineering composites within Ulster. The research included significant collaborations with (patent-holding) resin developers Prof R Wool (Centre Composite Materials, University Delaware, USA) and Transfurans Chemicals BVBA, Belgium. The intended application area is the engineering field. The paper was presented at ICCM – 17, Edinburgh 2009.

Naturally derived fibres (flax, viscose rayon) and bio-resins derived from crop oils (Soy-bean) and hemi-cellulose sugars (Furan) are essential new textile composite materials Soden/Brennan has developed (in collaboration with resin manufacturers) attempting to match the properties that glass and flax fibre/epoxy composites attained. These composites use constituent materials which had not been produced together because the resin was still in commercial infancy, it was customised to enable these composites to be fabricated. Other related research is included in the portfolio.