Direct manufacturing of flax fibers reinforced low melting point PET composites from nonwoven mats

There have been many interests in using natural fibers as substitutes for glass fibers to prepare fiber reinforced composites. Flax fibers, due to their specific strength, have been a hot issue in this field. The focus of this research work is to manufacture flax fiber reinforced low melting point PET composites directly from nonwoven mats. No consolidation methods are applied to the carded nonwoven mats before the hot-press molding. The effects of operating parameters like carding method, molding temperature, molding time, etc. on the mechanical properties of composites have been investigated. Results show it is a facile and cost-saving method to produce composites specifically in the application areas like automobile interior ornament and decoration materials, etc.