Abstract :

An automotive application with renewable sources as environmentally sustainable solution has been studied for weight reduction. Hemp as non-woven natural fiber (NNF) and Polylactic acid (PLA) non-woven fibers has been used to form continuous mat by needle-punch method. This biobased mat structure was then hot formed to achieve good mechanical properties. The composition of the fiber was 50:50 / NNF:PLA and the density of the final sheet was 1300 gr/m2, the final thickness of the biocomposite after themoforming was 2.2 mm with 2.1 GPa Flexural Modulus and 17 MPa Tensile Strength and 2.3% elongation at break. In this study, the mechanical performance of this biocomposite structure under water immersion, 40ºC and 80ºC was studied. The charpy impact strength was found 21kJ/m2. The major outcome of this study is replacing conventional reinforcement materials with renewable sources which offers lower weight and tolerable mechanical strengths.

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