Reducing the dependency from petroleum-based monomers and crosslinkers is an increasingly important goal for plastics industry. This being enabled by growing diversity availability of alternative biobased products derived renewable resources, some which are compatible with production more sustainable resins high-performance applications. paper presents development unsaturated polyesters (UPs) their crosslinked (UPRs) based on 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) other building blocks. The...

Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites and polymeric foams used in construction are susceptible to elevated temperatures, but little is known about the behaviour of composite sandwich panels under fire exposure. This paper presents an experimental study on resistance web-core with polyurethane foam infill for building floors. Two panel variants were considered: (i) all-composite panel, glass-FRP (GFRP) face sheets webs; (ii) a hybrid additional fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) top layer....

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present experimental investigations on the structural behaviour composite sandwich panels for civil engineering applications. performance two different core materials – rigid plastic polyurethane (PU) foam and polypropylene (PP) honeycomb combined with glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) skins, effect using GFRP ribs along longitudinal edges were investigated. Design/methodology/approach campaign first included flatwise tensile tests skins; edgewise...

This paper presents the development and industrial manufacturing of a pultruded high-performance carbon fibre (CF) reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite strip using bio-based unsaturated polyester (UP) resin containing more than 50% its weight derived from renewable raw materials. The CF/UP strengthening strip, comprising unidirectional CF strands, was successfully produced mechanical thermomechanical behaviours were assessed, compared to an equivalent epoxy-vinyl ester (CF/VE) with...

This paper presents the manufacturing and mechanical thermomechanical properties of a bio-based glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite, produced by vacuum infusion, using an in-house high-performance unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) with more than 50 wt% its content derived from renewable raw materials. Specimens were successfully produced, their was compared to equivalent GFRP composite conventional petroleum-based UPR same fibre architecture. The presented 538 MPa, 210 52 MPa...

This paper presents an experimental investigation about the effect of elevated temperature on mechanical properties two polyurethane (PUR) foams, with densities 40 kg/m 3 and 93 . The campaign included shear compressive tests over a range 20°C–200°C, performed to assess degradation PUR foams temperature. To validate diagonal tension test method adopted in this investigation, numerical study was also performed, namely (shear) stress state developed within foam. results obtained validated...

This paper presents experimental and analytical investigations about the creep behaviour of sandwich panels comprising glass-fibre reinforced polymer faces rigid polyurethane foam core for civil engineering applications. A full-scale panel was tested in bending a period 3600 h, simply supported configuration, subjected to uniformly distributed load corresponding 20% panel’s flexural strength. Additionally, specimens were shear 1200 three different levels 10%, 30% foam’s Experimental results...

Sandwich structures comprising glass-fibre reinforced polymer faces and low-density core constitute an efficient versatile constructive system for civil ocean engineering structures. However, being multilayered with relatively soft materials, they are particularly susceptible to damage under concentrated loads. Whilst numerous studies exist on the indentation impact behaviour of sandwich composites, great majority considers thin-skinned laminates used by aeronautical industry. To mitigate...

This paper presents an experimental study of the wet freeze-thaw (FT) durability a fibre-polymer composite produced by vacuum infusion using innovative bio-based unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) and basalt fibres. As benchmark, equivalent with conventional (oil-based) UPR was also tested. The composites were preconditioned in water immersion for 30 days at 20 °C followed exposure to FT up 300 cycles; each cycle consisted 3 h dry freezing condition (-20 °C) 8 thawing (23 submerged water....

This paper presents experimental and analytical investigations about the elastic viscoelastic (creep) behaviour of sandwich panels made glass-fibre reinforced polymer faces a polyethylene terephthalate foam core, produced by vacuum infusion for civil engineering structural applications. First, response panels’ constituent materials (glass-fibre terephthalate) in tension, compression shear was experimentally assessed; tests on were carried out using novel test method, diagonal tension test....

Composite sandwich panels with reinforcement ribs or webs are being increasingly considered for structural applications in civil engineering. Such prone to creep when subjected significant permanent loads and therefore the effects of this phenomenon must be duly accounted their design. Data regarding viscoelasticity constituent materials is still scarce often cannot directly used predictions design practice. To address issue, paper presents experimental assessment analytical modeling...