Investigation of flax fibre reinforced epoxy friction composites

The use of eco-materials on the basis of natural fibre reinforced polymer composites has found its way to many applications. In the automobile sector, the use of such composites has long been established for applications in the car interior. The use of natural fibre reinforced composites for braking applications has however not been confirmed yet. In this study the use of flax fibres as a candidate reinforcement substitution for glass or even the carcinogenic asbestos fibres has been investigated. Typical frictional materials such as alumina, iron and brass particulates have been used together with graphite as a lubricant. Epoxy resin was used as the binding matrix. Results show frictional behaviours comparable with commercially available brake linings at acceptable wear rates.