polymers-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Towards Sustainable and Ecofriendly Fiber Reinforced Polymers: Manufacturing, Characterization, Modelling and Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Fibers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2025) | Viewed by 450

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Computing and Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, University of Derby, Derby DE22 1GB, UK
Interests: FRP Composites; FEA modelling; adhesive joining; nanocomposites; structural health monitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the world embarks on its journey to net zero carbon, fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs) are already playing a critical role in several industries, including energy, marine, construction, and transportation. The key reason is FRPs’ versatility; for example, enhanced strength in wind turbine blades, improved durability and corrosion resistance in marine applications, and lightweight properties for vehicles and aircraft, which, in turn, help to reduce emissions.

This Special Issue aims to collect research papers and review articles with original contributions to the development, production, testing, and modelling of FRPs, with a special focus on eco-friendly aspects, such as natural fibres, bio-sourced resin, thermoplastic composites, biodegradability, recycling, repurposing, and enhanced longevity. This Special Issue covers the following areas, among other topics:

  • The manufacturing of FRPs;
  • The experimental characterization of novel, eco-friendly FRPs;
  • The simulation of damage and failure in FRPs;
  • The multi-scale modelling of FRPs;
  • The life-cycle assessment of FRPs;
  • Recycling and repurposing technologies for thermoset and thermoplastic FRPs.

Researchers are invited to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible.

Dr. Bowen Guan
Dr. Marzena Pawlik
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fibre reinforced polymer
  • resin
  • bio-resin
  • natural fibre
  • mechanical properties
  • nanocomposites
  • recycling
  • repurposing
  • life cycle assessment
  • finite element analysis

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

19 pages, 40657 KiB  
Article
Development and Analysis of a Sustainable Interlayer Hybrid Unidirectional Laminate Reinforced with Glass and Flax Fibres
by York Schwieger, Usama Qayyum and Giovanni Pietro Terrasi
Polymers 2025, 17(14), 1953; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17141953 - 16 Jul 2025
Viewed by 176
Abstract
In this study, a new fibre combination for an interlayer hybrid fibre-reinforced polymer laminate was investigated to achieve pseudo-ductile behaviour in tensile tests. The chosen high-strain fibre for this purpose was S-Glass, and the low-strain fibre was flax. These materials were chosen because [...] Read more.
In this study, a new fibre combination for an interlayer hybrid fibre-reinforced polymer laminate was investigated to achieve pseudo-ductile behaviour in tensile tests. The chosen high-strain fibre for this purpose was S-Glass, and the low-strain fibre was flax. These materials were chosen because of their relatively low environmental impact compared to carbon/carbon and carbon/glass hybrids. An analytical model was used to find an ideal combination of the two materials. With that model, the expected stress–strain relation could also be predicted analytically. The modelling was based on preliminary tensile tests of the two basic components investigated in this research: unidirectional laminates reinforced with either flax fibres or S-Glass fibres. Hybrid specimens were then designed, produced in a heat-assisted pressing process, and subjected to tensile tests. The strain measurement was performed using distributed fibre optic sensing. Ultimately, it was possible to obtain repeatable pseudo-ductile stress–strain behaviour with the chosen hybrid when the specimens were subjected to quasi-static uniaxial tension in the direction of the fibres. The intended damage-mode, consisting of a controlled delamination at the flax-fibre/glass-fibre interface after the flax fibres failed, followed by a load transfer to the glass fibre layers, was successfully achieved. The pseudo-ductile strain averaged 0.52% with a standard deviation of 0.09%, and the average load reserve after delamination was 145.5 MPa with a standard deviation of 48.5 MPa. The integrated fibre optic sensors allowed us to monitor and verify the damage process with increasing strain and load. Finally, the analytical model was compared to the measurements and was partially modified by neglecting the Weibull strength distribution of the high-strain material. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop