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 More >

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 More >

Y.H. Liu¹, X.X. Xue², J.M.Shen¹

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.11, No.2, pp. 197-204, 2015, DOI:10.3970/fdmp.2015.011.195

Abstract Blends of Polyethylene (PE) and modified-oil shale ash (MOSA) with different fractions of MOSA were prepared by the melting blend method. The effects of MOSA content on the rheological and mechanical properties of the blend were properly assessed via direct experimental analysis (more precisely, all rheological measurements were performed using a laboratory-scale XSS-300 torque rheometer with single screw extruder; the temperatures were maintained at 170°C, 180°C and 190°C under continuous extrusion). The prepared samples were observed to display a shear-thinning behaviour. Moreover, with increasing the MOSA content, we found the yield strength of the blends More >

M.R. Akbari¹, J. Ghanbari^1,2

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.45, No.3, pp. 187-202, 2015, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2015.045.187

Abstract Exact analytical solution for functionally graded hollow discs under internal pressure, thermal load and rotation are provided in this paper. Material properties of discs, i.e. elastic modulus, density and thermal expansion coefficient are assumed to vary in radial direction. Two power functions are assumed for property dependency to study various types of functional grading of materials in the discs. Assuming small deformations, a differential equation is obtained and solved for the Airy stress function. The effects of various grading functions on the stress and deformation distribution are studied and an optimum value for the power More >

Neeraj Dubey¹, Geeta Agnihotri¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.45, No.1, pp. 39-56, 2015, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2015.045.039

Abstract In this paper, midrib of coconut palm leaves (MCL) was investigated for the purpose of development of natural fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites. A new natural fiber composite as MCL/polyester is developed by the hand lay-up method, and the material and mechanical properties of the fiber, matrix and composite materials were evaluated. The effect of fiber content on the tensile, flexural, impact, compressive strength and heat distortion temperature (HDT) was investigated. It was found that the MCL fiber had the maximum tensile strength, tensile modulus flexural strength, flexural modulus and Izod impact strength of 177.5MPa, More >

Vu Thanh Phuong^1,2, Steven Verstichel³, Patrizia Cinelli^1,4, Irene Anguillesi¹, Maria-Beatrice Coltelli¹, Andrea Lazzeri^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 35-41, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634136

Abstract Cellulose acetate (CDA) cannot be processed as raw material because it starts to decompose before melting. Triacetin and diacetin were tested to improve CDA processing versus conventional phthalate as environmentally sustainable plasticizers, because of their low toxicity and fast biodegradability. The addition of triacetin and diacetin allowed melt processing of CDA and the results of tensile tests outlined their effect as plasticizers. The values of mechanical properties were compatible with the requirements for applications in rigid packaging. From the results of biodegradation tests it can be concluded that for pure cellulose acetate, complete biodegradation was More >

L. Poussard^1,*, A. Mecheri¹, J. Mariage¹, I. Barakat¹, L. Bonnaud¹, J.-M. Raquez^1,2, P. Dubois^1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 13-22, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634132

Abstract Biobased oligo(butylene succinate)-based thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) were prepared following a twostep polymerization process: condensation of succinic acid and butanediol and the chain extension of resulting hydroxyl-terminated butylene succinate oligomers (OBS) in the presence of butanediol as chain extender and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) as coupling agent. Mechanical and thermal properties of the elaborated TPUs were evaluated in terms of hard segment and compared with those of commercial polybutylene succinate (PBS), Bionolle 1001. Whatever the compositions, the ultimate tensile properties of OBS-based TPUs and Bionolle 1001 were found to exhibit similar values (ε_r ≈ 400%, σ_r ≈ 40 More >

M. Tazi¹, F. Erchiqui^1,*, F.Godard¹, H. Kaddami²

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.4, pp. 258-263, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634120

Abstract This article evaluates the mechanical properties and biodegradability of wood-plastic composite materials made from sawdust and thermoplastic polymer (HDPE). For the preparation of the composites, sawdust in different proportions with Maleic Anhydride grafted Polyethylene (MAPE) as the coupling agent was used. The mechanical properties and biodegradability of the biocomposites were successively characterized. The results indicate that adding sawdust particles to a polymer matrix improves the mechanical strength and stiffness of composites. The tensile strength of a composite with 3% coupling agent was improved by 13%, 34% and 54% respectively when 20%, 30% and 40% wood… More >

Amar Boukerrou^*, Dalila Hammiche, Djidjelli Hocine, Hassina Aouat

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.4, pp. 249-257, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634119

Abstract The lack of compatibility between cellulose fi bers and some polymers, such as thermoplastics, is due on one hand to the hydrophilic nature of the vegetable fi bers and on the other hand to the hydrophobic character of the matrix. This incompatibility induces bad dispersion of the fi bers and the formation of a heterogeneous material with mechanical properties which are not very satisfactory. The scope of this article is to describe the possibility of using Olive Husk Flour (OHF) as reinforcement in the elaboration of a composite material based on polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In More >

Y. Zhang¹, Y. F. Nie², Y. T. Wu¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.40, No.3, pp. 203-218, 2014, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2014.040.203

Abstract The present study aims to evaluate the mechanical properties of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) by the statistical second-order two-scale (SSOTS) method. At first, the representation for microstructure of SFRC is described by a concept of statistical screen. According to the microstructure representation, the SSOTS method is displayed in a concise way. This method is on the basis of asymptotic expansion homogenization and Monte Carlo method, and can calculate the local strain and stress field through the two-order displacement solution. As the classical homogenization method, the expression of homogenized elastic modulus is derived analytically. Then More >