Natural fiber composites with plant oil-based resin

Vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding or resin vacuum infusion process was used to make composite panels out of plant oil-based resin [acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO)] and natural fiber mats made of flax, cellulose, pulp and hemp. The composites formed by room temperature cure with natural fiber reinforcement of about 10-50 wt% increased the flexural modulus to a range between 1.5 and 6 GPa depending on the nature of the fiber mat. The AESO resin reinforced with woven E-glass fiber was tested as a reference and gave a flexural modulus of 17 GPa, while a room temperature curing of the neat resin gave a flexural modulus of about 1.1 GPa. Recycled paper was used as a cheap resource of cellulose fiber and found to work well with AESO resin in terms of flow. impregnation, and surface bonding, giving a modulus of over five times that of the neat resin. These low-cost natural composites were found to have mechanical strength and properties suitable for applications in housing construction materials, furniture and automotive parts. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.