Process for Manufacturing a High Performance Natural Fiber Composite by Sheet Molding

摘要

In the past few years, natural fibers are finding an increased interest in polymer matrices. The natural fibers serve as reinforcement by enhancing the strength and stiffness to the resulting composite structure. In this study, a novel processing technique has been developed for water-based thermoset polymers to prepare resin-impregnated mats, which can be used for sheet molding process to manufacture complex automotive semi-structural and structural parts. To optimize the curing conditions, the mechanical properties of composites at different curing temperature and the crosslink density of the composites cured at different times were evaluated.