| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/M82219/01 |
| Title: |
EFFECT OF DEFECTS ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF NATURAL FIBRES AND COMPOSITE MATERIALS |
| Principal Investigator: |
Young, Professor RJ |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Manchester Materials Science Centre |
| Organisation: |
UMIST |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 September 1999 |
Ends: |
31 August 2002 |
Value (£): |
222,749
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Materials Characterisation |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Manufacturing |
Transport Systems and Vehicles |
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| Panel History: |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Natural Fibres offer tremendous scope as reinforcing fibres in high performance composites. Cellulose- based fibres such as flex and hemp can have Young's modules values of the value of the order of 100 Gpa which combined with a low specific stiffness values in excess of those of glass fibre reinforcement. In addition such natural fibres are cheaper than fibreglass, biodegradable and are less abrasive to the processing machinery. A major drawback in their use is the variability in mechanical properties that is encountered with natural fibres, which means that they are often employed only in low technology applications. In particular it is found that the strength of such fibres is critically dependent upon the presence of defects and damage in the cell walls, that may either occur naturally or induced during handing. Increasingly the industrial application of composite materials seeks to utilise naturally based products, which not only provide more reliable strength levels, but also cost incentives over man-made materials.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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