Specific mechanical properties for composite knitted reinforcements with natural fibers

Abstract

The potential of natural fibers in the technical field have gained lately a particular attention due to their advantages: low cost, high strength-to-weight ratio and recyclability. Used as a reinforcement for composite products in applications like: sport items, aviation, automotive, civil industry, these natural-fibre-based composites became a good alternative for conventional products made from metal, wood, fiber glass and other materials. This paper presents a study on composite materials reinforced by sandwich fabrics made from a combination of high-performance and natural fibers. These materials have been subjected to tensile and tearing tests in order to study their mechanical behaviour. The sandwich weft knitted structures were produced on an electronic flat knitting machine Stoll CMS 520 TC, E 10, using aramid and linen based yarns.