Thesis
Strategies to fabricate natural fiber composite panels using VARTM and RTM
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
12/2019
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000003987
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/125349
Abstract
There is an increasing demand for decorative and architectural panels in offices, hotels, and residential applications. Many companies are trying to develop natural fiber (NF) composite panels in a consistent manner using all kinds of NF mostly waste stream products available around us. This study sought to develop the methodology to produce sunflower hull and hazelnut shell composite panels using an RTM mold. To fabricate panels in the mold, it was necessary to develop a method to produce panels with NF particulates in the vacuum bag. Sunflower panels were made in the vacuum bag and epoxy resin was used as the matrix. Sunflower hulls were prepressed in a heat press to make the preforms. 5 mm, 9 mm, 12 mm and 15 mm thickness panels were made in the vacuum bag and mechanical properties of sunflower panels were evaluated. Knowledge gathered from vacuum bag method was applied to design and build a mold prototype so that NF particulate composite could be produced without making a preform. In the mold prototype, hazelnut shell panels were made along with sunflower hull panels. This prototype had several advantages over the vacuum bag and the uncertainties related to the vacuum bag process were reduced to a great extent. Injection pressure was used along with the vacuum pressure to assist the flow of the resin. Vacuum bag method required peel ply and resin flow media which made the vacuum bag side of the finished panel rough but because of using the aluminum mold prototype, it was possible to fabricate equally smooth panels on both sides. Panels produced in the prototype mold mostly exhibited better properties (flexure strength for sunflower hull panels were less) and had better dimensional stability when exposed to moisture (less than 1% moisture sorption and thickness swell). Based on the observations of the mold prototype, an 8ft by 4 ft mold was designed considering the positions of the inlet and outlet port, o-rings and channels around the mold cavity for the resin. The required thickness for the top mold side was calculated for different pressure keeping a constant safety co-efficient of 3.
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Details
- Title
- Strategies to fabricate natural fiber composite panels using VARTM and RTM
- Creators
- Hasan Rafsan Jani
- Contributors
- Vikram Yadama (Advisor) - Washington State University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Identifiers
- 99900890798601842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis