Mechanical property tests FLax/PP Standard Tensile modulus (GPa) Flexural modulus (GPa) Flexural strength (MPa) Charpy (KJ/m²) at -30°C Charpy (KJ/m²) at -30°C Melting point (°C) Crystallization temperature (°C) NF EN ISO 527-2 NF EN ISO 178 NF EN ISO 178 NF EN ISO 179-1 /2fn NF EN ISO 179-1 /2ep NF EN ISO 11 357-1 NF EN ISO 11 357-1 Value 11±0.8 8.2±0.7 100±10 No break 24.7±3.7 170.8 115.9 thermocompression was used for all the tests carried out under this project. Towards 100% biobased materials The ultimate goal of the project is to develop and manufacture products that meet the new environmental criteria of industries. To this end, a new product made only with flax fibre and polylactic acid was created. ISO 157-2 tensile tests revealed the mechanical advantages of this Flax/PLA product More information ... AgroComposites Entreprises is an association of 11 companies working on natural fibre-based agromaterials. The association’s mission is to provide comprehensive industrial solutions using agromaterials, from idea to implementation. The expertise of the different member companies covers all of the value chain. Based in the heart of Burgundy (France), AgroComposites Entreprises was created in September 2010 with a view to industrializing natural fibre-based composite materials. product, with elastic modulus values at 15.9 GPa. As in the case of the flax/PP product, complex shapes can be produced. Conclusion and future prospects The need for new, more environmental-friendly and rapidly-processed materials is now recognized as essential for the industrialization of composite manufacturing. Complete mechanical tests still need to be carried out for materials, such as flax/PLA and hemp/PP, in order to establish all the differences between these two natural fibres. New products with more fabric layers will also be tested to compare mechanical properties. Contact: mconte.ace@orange.fr More information: www.agrocomposites.fr No65 May - June 2011 / jec composites magazine 29 Markethttp://www.agrocomposites.fr http://www.lach-diamant.de