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Engineering (Re-formable) Bio-Composites

Circularity in Façade Cladding Systems with Complex Geometries

Student:

Mentors:

Samanwita Ghosh

Olga Ioannou

Mauro Overend

More information:

Engineered bio-composites offer unprecedented potential for low-carbon, mechanically robust components with curvilinear surfaces, displacing the easily formable yet energy-intensive sheet metals. However, shaped fibre-reinforced components cannot be reformed for a second life, compromising their circular performance/reuse potential. This thesis introduces a novel low-carbon bio-composite, reformable at the end of life i.e. - bent along a curve and flattened back to a sheet without permanent deformation or loss of mechanical properties.

The systemic selection of bio-fibres (woven flax textile), bio-resin (PLA thermoplastic), and sheet-forming - based on 'sag bending' principles – leads to the 100% biobased Flax-PLA developables. Mechanical tests, weathering and surface quality assessments measured pre and post reforming cycles, demonstrate that Flax-PLA laminates maintained structural integrity and retained surface quality. Structural properties remain within permissible design limits post reshaping, thereby verifying its eligibility for diverse structural applications.

Finally, the cradle-to-gate analysis is performed where the novel bio-composites are benchmarked with conventional virgin aluminium sheets to evaluate the global warming potential, which reveals significant embodied carbon savings. Such a material encourages resource reuse, retains product integrity at its highest embodied value throughout multiple use cycles, and forms the basis of a new generation of bio-based and reusable components.

The paper outlines the research steps needed to transition this bio-composite to real-world applications. Lifespan extension, environmental testing and production scalability can shift urban construction practices to low-emission structures reliant on low-tech, agro-biomass to enhance resource resilience against ecological uncertainties.

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