Durability of Plant Fiber Composites for Structural Application: A Brief Review
Yunlong Jia1, Bodo Fiedler2, Wenkai Yang1
1School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering/Aviation, Changzhou Institute of Technology, Changzhou 213032, China.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 10, 2023
Summary
Sustainable plant fiber composites (PFCs) show promise for structural use, but durability factors like moisture, creep, and fatigue require careful management. Further research into improving PFCs
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Sustainable Engineering
- Composite Materials
Background:
- Environmental sustainability and eco-efficiency are driving the adoption of new materials.
- Plant fiber composites (PFCs) are gaining interest for structural applications due to their sustainable nature.
- Understanding the durability of PFCs is crucial for their widespread industrial adoption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current research on the durability of plant fiber composites (PFCs).
- To identify critical durability factors: moisture/water aging, creep, and fatigue properties.
- To discuss existing and potential improvement methods for PFC durability.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing research on PFC durability.
- Analysis of studies focusing on moisture absorption, creep deformation, and fatigue behavior.
- Examination of methods to enhance PFC durability, such as fiber surface treatments and fiber-matrix bonding.
Main Results:
- Moisture absorption negatively impacts the mechanical properties of PFCs, with current treatments only alleviating, not eliminating, the issue.
- Creep deformation is a significant concern in PFCs due to their microstructure; improved fiber-matrix bonding shows potential for enhancement.
- PFCs exhibit high endurance (1 million cycles) under tension-tension fatigue at 40% UTS, but compression fatigue requires more investigation.
Conclusions:
- PFCs show potential for structural applications, but their use in moist environments is limited by water absorption.
- Addressing creep and water absorption through material design and treatment is essential for broader PFC application.
- Further research is needed, particularly on compression fatigue and advanced methods to mitigate moisture and creep effects.
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