Usage of composites in industries is very common, especially in naval industry. Buyers demand affordable products that also adhere to environmental guidelines. Manufacturers must follow those demands as well as ensuring mechanical adequacy.
A comparison was made between glass, carbon, basalt, and flax fiber from mechanical, economic, and ecological viewpoints. Using a simple theoretical model, we determined the characteristics of the materials and manufactured samples, which were subjected to bend tests to measure their stiffness. We have compared calculations with measurement, and also examined the prices and carbon footprint of each material.
The result showed that different materials are best from different viewpoints: carbon fiber has the best mechanical properties, from economical perspective the most widely used glass fiber is the best and from ecological perspective basalt fiber proves it’s dominance. Flax fiber are heavy, expensive and have higher carbon footprint due to double of resin used to make it, that’s why their usage in this context is not reasonable.
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