ABSTRACT In this work, nanobiocomposites of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) reinforced with cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) were produced by electrospinning and solution casting process. CNFs were obtained by sulfuric acid hydrolysis from Imperata brasiliensis fibers. Nanocomposites loaded with 1 (wt. %) of CNFs were prepared using a mixture of solvents chloroform (CHCl3): N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF), in the ratio of 78:22 with 30 h of solubilization. Films by solution casting were obtained in a petri dish, at 50 °C for 1 hour, using drying casting temperature of 153 °C. Mats by electrospinning were obtained with a needle 20x10, drum collector rotation 27 rpm, and working distance of 10 cm. Films and mats were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). It was possible to conclude that for nanobiocomposites obtained by solution casting, the addition of CNFs did not affect the transparency of the films, but provided a significant increase in the crystallization rate as observed by DSC analysis, while for electrospinning nanobiocomposites a considerable improvement in process increasing electrospinning time and quality of the mats manufactured, were observed.

The need to develop and commercialize materials containing vegetal fibers has grown in order to reduce environmental impact and reach sustainability. Large amounts of lignocellulosic materials are generated around the world from several human activities. The lignocellulosic materials are composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, extractives and ashes. Recently these constituents have been used in different applications; in particular, cellulose has been the subject of numerous works on the development of composite materials reinforced with natural fibers. Many studies have led to composite materials reinforced with fibers to improve the mechanical, physical, and thermal properties. Furthermore, lignocellulosic materials have been treated to apply in innovative solutions for efficient and sustainable systems. This paper aims to review the lignocellulosic fibers characteristics, as well as to present their applications as reinforcement in composites of different polymeric matrices.

The success of manufacturing composite parts by liquid composite molding processes with RTM depends on tool designs, efficient heat system, a controlled injection pressure, a stabilized vacuum system, besides of a suitable study of the preform lay-up and the resin system choice. This paper reports how to assemble a RTM system in a laboratory scale by specifying heat, injection and vacuum system. The design and mold material were outlined by pointing out its advantages and disadvantages. Four different carbon fiber fabrics were used for testing the RTM system. The injection pressure was analyzed regarding fiber volume content, preform compression and permeability, showing how these factors can affect the process parameters. The glass transition temperature (Tg) around 203 ºC matched with the aimed temperature of the mold which ensured good distribution of the heat throughout the upper and lower mold length. The void volume fraction in a range of 2% confirmed the appropriate RTM system and parameters choice.

Natural fibers used as reinforcement of polymeric composites are interesting research subjects in polymer technology. Nowadays, these materials are being considered as a way to reinforce timber structures improvement. Fibers with larger structural applications are glass and carbon fibers, however, the use of natural fibers is an economic alternative and present many advantages such as biodegradability and having its origin from a renewable source. Castor oil, a triglyceride vegetable with hydroxyl groups, was reacted with 4,4' methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) to produce the polyurethane matrix. The composites were prepared by compress molding at room temperature using woven sisal fiber as a reinforcement, with and without thermal treatment (at 60 ºC for 72 hours) to the fabrics before the composites molding process. The present paper presents the preparation and a flexural caracterization of sisal/polyurethane and sisal/phenolic composites by using the three-point bending. The sisal fibers moisture content influence on the flexural behaviour was also analyzed. Experimental results showed a higher stiffness for the sisal/phenolic composite (11.2 MPa) followed by the sisal/polyurethane (3.7 MPa), respectively.

The increasingly design requirements for modern engineering applications resulted in the development of new materials with improved mechanical properties. Low density, combined with excellent weight/strength ratio as well as corrosion resistance, make the titanium attractive for application in landing gears. Fatigue control is a fundamental parameter to be considered in the development of mechanical components. The aim of this research is to analyze the fatigue behavior of anodized Ti-6Al-4V alloy and the influence of shot peening pre treatment on the experimental data. Axial fatigue tests (R = 0.1) were performed, and a significant reduction in the fatigue strength of anodized Ti-6Al-4V was observed. The shot peening superficial treatment, which objective is to create a compressive residual stress field in the surface layers, showed efficiency to increase the fatigue life of anodized material. Experimental data were represented by S-N curves. Scanning electron microscopy technique (SEM) was used to observe crack origin sites.