Open Access
EDITORIAL
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.3, pp. 161-162, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634113
Abstract This article has no abstract. More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Mike Lawrence
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.3, pp. 163-174, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634105
Abstract The relative importance of embodied energy and operational energy on the environmental impact of
construction are examined in this article. It highlights the fact that the targets set by the Kyoto Protocol are
primarily being met by the reduction of in-use energy, and that the implications of that are that the energy
embodied in buildings will increase in signifi cance from its current 17% level to 50% by 2050. The article
describes how the use of bio-based renewable materials can make a signifi cant contribution to reducing not
only the embodied energy of buildings by using the sequestration of CO2… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
K. M. Hess, W. V. Srubar III*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.3, pp. 175-182, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634106
Abstract This article concerns the development and characterization of a protein-based alternative to traditional fiberreinforced polymer (FRP) composites used in construction. In this work, gelatin-based resins were prepared at
various gelatin-to-water (g/w) ratios. The effects of g/w ratio and curing time on resin mechanical properties
were investigated. Using gelatin resins with a 30% g/w ratio, (i) gelatin-flax and (ii) gelatin-fiberglass composites
were fabricated, and their mechanical properties were characterized and compared to both (iii) epoxy-flax and
(iv) epoxy-fiberglass composites. Fracture surface morphologies were investigated using scanning electron
microscopy. Results indicate that gelatin-flax composites exhibit similar mechanical properties compared to the
epoxy-fiberglass… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Henning Roedel1, Isamar Rosa Plata1, Michael Lepech1,*, David Loftus2
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.3, pp. 183-194, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634107
Abstract This article presents the sustainability assessment of a novel biocomposite material that is under investigation by
NASA for use in construction in limited resource environments. The composite consists of soil particles
solidified by a protein binding agent. Preliminary compressive strength data suggests the biocomposite could be
used for numerous construction applications. To assess the biocomposite’s potential for use in sustainable
construction, a comparative process-based life cycle assessment between biocomposite and concrete pavers was
performed to analyze the life cycle primary energy and IMPACT 2002+ points of both types of pavers. Results
show that the concrete pavers outperform the biocomposite pavers… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
D.N. Dorr, S.D. Frazier, K.M. Hess, L.S. Traeger, W.V. Srubar III*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.3, pp. 195-204, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634108
Abstract A study of the potential for gelatin-based derivatives to serve as biorenewable, biodegradable adhesives for
wood and engineered wood products is presented in this article. The effect of gelatin-to-water weight percent on
the mechanical, specifically ultimate breaking (bond) strength, and thermal properties was investigated using
tensile testing and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. The breaking strengths of the gelatin-based
adhesives were characterized and compared to four commercially available wood adhesives. The effect of 1–5%
tannin addition on the mechanical, thermal, and moisture absorption behavior of the gelatin-based adhesives
was also investigated. Results show that the gelatin-based materials demonstrate 1) appropriate thermal… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Nassibeh Hosseini1, Samad Javid1, Ali Amiri1, Chad Ulven1,*, Dean C. Webster2, Ghodrat Karami1
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.3, pp. 205-215, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634112
Abstract In this study, a novel, bio-based polyol was used in the formulation of a polyurethane (PU) matrix for a
composite material where fl ax fi ber was used as the reinforcement. The viscoelastic properties of the matrix
and fl ax fi ber were determined by a linear viscoelastic model through experimentation and the results were
used as input for the material properties in the computational model. A fi nite element micromechanical model
of a representative volume element (RVE) in terms of repeating unit cells (RUC) was developed to predict the
mechanical properties of composites. Six loading conditions were applied on… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Vikram Yadama*, Michael P. Wolcott
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.3, pp. 216-223, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634103
Abstract The effects of strand undulation angles in wood-strand composites have often been ignored due to the
virtual impossibility of experimental determination of their effects on composite material properties, and
the diffi culty in modeling localized deviations in angle along the path of a strand. The fi ber undulation
model (FUM), that has been previously verifi ed, was applied in this study to predict the elastic constants of
laboratory-manufactured oriented strand panels. A stochastic approach was incorporated where a series rule
of mixtures with probability density functions of angle distributions was utilized in the model to transform
the elastic constants in… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Ali Amiri, Nassibeh Hosseini, Chad A. Ulven*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.3, pp. 224-233, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634111
Abstract Natural fibers have great potential to be used as reinforcement in composite materials. Cellulose, being a critical
constituent of natural fibers, provides unquestionable advantages over synthetically produced fibers. Increasing
demand for use of bio-based composites in different engineering and structural applications requires proper test
methods and models for predicting their long-term behavior. In the present work, the time-temperature
superposition principle was successfully applied to characterize creep behavior of flax/vinyl ester composites.
The creep compliance vs time curves were determined and shifted along the logarithmic time axis to generate a
master compliance curve. The time-temperature superposition provided an accelerated method for… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Christopher Voth1, Nathan White2, Vikram Yadama3,*, William Cofer3
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.3, pp. 234-243, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634109
Abstract Part of a long-term goal of developing a sustainable composite panel that meets both structural and energy
performance requirements in building construction applications, this study discusses the development of a thinwalled wood-strand 3D core element that shows promise for a variety of panelized construction applications,
such as in a building envelope. Sandwich panels take advantage of the lightweight corrugated core sandwiched
between stress skin faces acting similar to an I-beam. Specific bending stiffness of sandwich panels fabricated
with ponderosa pine strands was significantly higher than average values of commercially produced composite
panels of equivalent thickness (141–156% and 120–133% stiffer than… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
John C. Hoiby1, Anil N. Netravali2,*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.3, pp. 244-258, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634110
Abstract This article discusses the construction (virtual model) of a fully green cabin using two types of green composites:
those that use natural plant-based fibers with soy protein-based resin which have mechanical properties
comparable to wood and wood products, and those that use liquid crystalline cellulose fibers with soy proteinbased resin which have properties comparable to high strength steel. Green composites with moderate strength
were used to create molded walls and advanced green composites were used to create the load-bearing
framework of the cabin. Construction with molded composites and prefabricated framework can greatly
simplify traditional wood construction based on many parts… More >
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