JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #114 - July 2017 - 48

SOLUTIONS infrastructure

First biocomposite footbridge:
towards more sustainable structures

Several universities and companies from The Netherlands cooperated to build
a 14-metre long footbridge entirely made of biocomposites.

B

iocomposites use plantbased resources, combining natural fibres with
biobased resins. Flax and hemp
fibres have made their way into
the composites industry thanks
to their mechanical properties
that compare favourably to
not-so-green
alternatives.
They offer a lightweight and
recyclable solution, which is
particularly important when it
comes to bridge-like structures.
The potential
of biocomposites
As part of this project, students
from TU/e, TU Delft and

the Eindhoven region built a
14-metre bridge made from
flax and hemp fibres adhesive
bonded to a polylactic (PLA)
foam core. Finally, the fibre
layers were impregnated with
a bio-resin using a vacuum
process, producing a support
beam with high strength when
hardened.
The bridge is intended to
remain in place for about a year.
It is equipped with almost 30
sensors that will allow the teams
working on it to measure and
analyse the bending occurring
during the bridge's use. This
will make the behaviour of
biocomposites a lot easier to
understand and work on for
future use.

Focus
The Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is a research
university specializing in engineering science & technology.
The university's education, research and knowledge valorization contribute to:
- Science for society: solving major societal issues and boosting
prosperity and welfare by focusing on the strategic areas of
energy, health and smart mobility;
- Science for industry: development of technological innovation
in cooperation with industry;
- Science for science: progress in engineering sciences through
excellence in key research cores and innovation in education.

48

jec composites magazine / N°114 July 2017

The flax and hemp "biobridge"

A fruitful collaboration
The bridge is the result of the
4TU Lighthouse research
project entitled "B3: Fully BioBased composite pedestrian
bridge". The partners involved
were TU/e, TU Delft, the
NPSP composite company
and the Center of Expertise
Biobased Economy, which
is a collaboration between
Avans Hogeschool and the HZ
University of Applied Sciences.
The project was co-funded by
Stichting Innovatie Alliantie
(SIA).
Inaugurated on 27 October
with an opening ceremony
hosted by Eindhoven's city

counsellor on the campus of
the Eindhoven University of
Technology, the bridge will
remain in place for one year.
Aside from being the first of
its kind, the bridge is also a
unique demonstration of how
more sustainable materials can
be used for construction. Since
the environmental requirements in infrastructures have
become so stringent, using flax
and hemp, and biocomposites
in general, is an important step
towards the use of less harmful
construction materials.
More information:
www.tue.nl
http://www.tue.nl
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #114 - July 2017
