Effect of accelerated weathering on the performance of natural fibre reinforced recyclable polymer composites and comparison with conventional composites

Abstract

This work investigated the long-term performance of unidirectional (UD) flax fibre reinforced recyclable polymer composites (FFRPs), after accelerated weathering for a total of 56 days, in laboratory environment. The employed recyclable polymer matrices were a bio-based epoxy and a liquid thermoplastic acrylic resin. The performance of the developed composites, were compared with traditional UD glass fibre composites (GFRPs), employing a standard petro-based epoxy resin, in terms of flexural and viscoelastic properties, while visual inspection and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were employed to investigate further the effects of ageing after exposure. It was revealed that the reinforcing fibres dominated the performance of the composites after ageing, whilst the choice of polymer matrix exhibited less influence.