Mechanical characterization and validation of biocomposites in small ship hull construction. Life Cycle Assessment.

Abstract

Nowadays, glass fiber reinforced polyester laminates are widely used in manufacturing small ship hulls by hand lay-up. The main drawbacks of the use of these composite materials are: the dependence of hydrocarbons on the synthesis of resins, the high energy cost to obtain glass fiber and the emission of volatile harmful compounds in the manufacturing process. In this work, the advantages of using flax fiber reinforced bioresins are analyzed. Tensile and flexural standard tests were performanced. After that, a small craft of less than 24 meters in length is designed in accordance with the international norm ISO 12215-5. The results indicate that despite the need for greater thickness, the total weight of the vessel is reduced by 12% using biocomposites. Besides, Finite Element Analysis (FEM) indicates that the structural design can be clearly optimizated. Finally, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) reveals an environmental improvement of the boat made of biocomposite instead of glass fiber. However, this improvement is limited by land occupation and the high water footprint of flax fiber in its production process.

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