24.09.2010 | The Advantages of Flax Fibers in Composites

The use of various natural fibers in the manufacture of technical textiles and nonwovens addresses the needs of our times.

For many industry partners today, it is very important to work on new functional and environmentally friendly product solutions to satisfy the needs of their own customers as well as the demands of the market and thus provide end users with what they want.

When a material needs to be durable, robust and should have high stiffness, it is possible to make use of the natural characteristics in the flax fiber. Through their naturally given modulus, their low weight when compared to carbon or glass fibers, as well as their vibration absorbing properties, flax fibers have many of the advantageous attributes, which can be used meaningfully in composites.

Norafin, a manufacturer of innovative technical nonwovens and composites, has ventured into flax fiber processing and introduced the material into its hydroentangling process. Because of their special characteristics, the use of natural fibers always involves irregularities, which means that special investments are necessary precisely in the area of hydroentangling technology. For example, it is necessary to counteract elutriation in the fibers in the area of hydroentangling technology so that the chemical substances in the fibers do not have too strong an influence on the production line. Despite various material challenges, the positive aspects of the flax fiber outweigh them. Flax nonwovens can be used as components in composites and offer a great deal of advantages for various applications thanks to the nonwovens texture and properties such as smooth surface and wood-like optical appearance:

• sports and leisure activities,
• use in the field of wind energy,
• application in construction,
• packaging,
• boat building and
• innovative interior design

In these areas, the processing of flax fibers presents a meaningful alternative to synthetically manufactured fibers depending on the objective. In the future, there is also the possibility of offering flax in a composition with a material structure or in combination with other natural fibers. In addition, possible bio-refining presents another future-oriented option.

Author:
Marc Jolly, Head of R&D, Norafin Industries (Germany) GmbH,
www.norafin.com

avr - Allgemeiner Vliesstoffreport 5/2010