Samenvatting

Nowadays, composites are mainly produced via petroleum derived chemicals. In a world where petroleum resources are running out, it is essential to find viable options for the replacement of these reserves. Biocomposites are already exploited but they appear to have low resistance to weathering. This resistance has been investigated for a full biocomposite and compare to a regular composite.

In this study, composites were made from Bioepoxy (Greenpoxy 56 from Sicomin) using Flax fibers as reinforcements for the full bio laminate. The regular composite was manufactured from the same resin but using glass fiber as reinforcement. They both have been aged in Bath two-sided immersion at 70°C and room temperature. The Flax composite have also been aged under UV exposure. An experimental device called “POT” has been used in order to counter the edges effect that induces a mistake in the calculation of the diffusion coefficient. At the end of the exposure, they were mechanically tested using tensile, flexural and ILSS tests.

A saturation level of 14,8% and 2,5% have been determined for the Flax composite and Glass composite respectively. The “POT” was not efficient enough to suppress the edges effect. The diffusion coefficient is 11 times faster when the water is at 70°C and the UV exposure didn’t have a worrying impact on the composite. However, it turned out that the water ageing was consequently lowering the different mechanical properties of both materials.