Publication: Understanding bond strength of flax fiber composite - steel hybrid materials

The development of bio-based alternatives to traditional composite reinforcements is compelled by the critical need to address the challenges posed by global warming.

Hybrid materials comprise of several materials. In our work we focused on understanding of how a flax fiber reinforced polymer composite and a stainless steel sheet can be joint together to form strong, lightweight, and stiff recylcable hybrid material. The key for sucess is proper adhesion between the two dissimilar materials.  Our recent work has shown that the bonded joint with epoxy adhesive was stronger in comparison to the bonding with natural rubber. It is supported by the adherend failure observed in the joint with epoxy adhesive, while the rubber joint showed adhesive failure. The key outcome of the research is that the viability of adhesively bonded NFC – metal hybrid is established. See more details in our Open Access publication: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomc.2021.100157