bamboo cars flyer
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BAMBOO OPENS DOOR FOR GREEN CARS OF THE FUTUREWidely available, fast-growing bamboo is a promising candidate for use in new bio-composites for the automotive industry. A new project at Deakin University’s Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM), supported by the AutoCRC, is investigating the use of bamboo as an alternative natural fibre for use in automotive applications. Earlier work by IFM researchers has shown that bamboo has antibacterial properties and also offers UV protection – properties which could help improve the durability of bio-composites.
deakin.edu.au/research
The aim of the project by Deakin PhD student, Erwan Castanet is to explore the properties of bio-composites comprising bamboo fibre and polylactide (PLA) bio-polymer. After blending bamboo fibres with PLA fibres at different ratios, Mr Castanet then tested the corresponding bio-composites for a number of properties, including strength and flexibility. The results are very promising, with the bamboo/PLA bio-composites exhibiting excellent mechanical properties, matching those of materials currently used by the automotive industry.
The use of natural fibre reinforced composites for automotive applications has significantly increased over the past decade.
deakin.edu.au/research
As manufacturers around the world look for ways to meet new regulations for recyclability, these materials offer obvious advantages.
But, although bio-composites offer many benefits in terms of their environmental credentials and lightweight properties for non-structural applications such as indoor panels and dashboards, they still have problems such as moisture absorbance (leading to bacterial growth), UV sensitivity and low impact resistance which affect their long-term durability and
performance. It is hoped that bamboo’s anti-bacterial and UV-protective properties will help overcome these issues.
The next step is to combine bamboo with another natural fibre in order to further tailor the properties and thus the performance of the bio-composites.
More information: Bernard Rolfe ([email protected])
THE INSTITUTE FOR FRONTIER MATERIALSThe Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM) at Deakin University was established to address some of the major challenges facing society through innovations in materials design and performance.
Our vision is to lead and inspire innovations in materials design and engineering that have a transformational benefit to society.
Our mission is to foster innovation and excellence in materials science and engineering research with the aim of addressing the critical societal objectives:
• Innovative manufacturing technologies
• Energy efficiency, resource and infrastructure sustainability.
We aspire to provide the highest quality research training and education to sustain the advancement of society.
Bobbin of bamboo fibre