As flax and hemp fibres continue to gain ground in composites – with 22% growth predicted annually up to 2020 – CELC (the European Confederation of Flax and Hemp) has developed standardised datasheet templates for preforms based on them.
“These new gudelines will help manufacturers in the composites industry to verify that the flax and hemp preforms do actually meet their application specifications,” says Julie Pariset, manager of CELC’s Technical Section.
Creating the templates involved industry-wide collaboration, from first processors to converters, in addition to laboratories, technical centres and end-users Europe-wide. Cross functional tests have been have been carried out to validate the first three datasheets for random mats, wovens and non-crimp fabrics. Each is divided into four sections – preform identification, fabric characterisation, the mechanical properties of a composite produced with the preform and additional data.
Recent success stories in the automotive sector for these fibres have included Faurecia’s NAFILean project to combine hemp fibres with a polypropylene matrix to replace glass fibre-reinforced polyethylene and Ecotechnilin’s nonwoven flax mats with sugar-based thermoset resins as the basis of the load floor for the latest Jaguar F Series.
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