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Projecte sorgit de la preocupació per la preservació del medi ambient i la contribució a reduir les emissions de CO2 produïdes en la fabricació, utilització i posterior reciclat dels materials compostos reforçats amb fibra de vidre. Es decideix plantejar objectivament la vertadera viabilitat de substituir les fibres de vidre per una fibra natural que garanteixi un comportament mecànic similar a l’obtingut utilitzant fibres de vidre com a reforç en materials compostos. Es fabriquen uns compostos només diferenciats pel tipus de reforç i caracteritzats a partir d'assajos de tracció i flexió. Gràcies als resultats dels assajos s'avaluen les diferències entre compostos i es determina el potencial de les fibres naturals. Posteriorment, s'avalua a través de simulacions i anàlisis d'esforços, si és factible aplicar aquests compostos en la fabricació de la cúpula de la moto elèctrica de l'equip de competició UPC Vilanova E3 Team. Per acabar, es detallen totes les consideracions de reciclabilitat i sostenibilitat que objectivament cal tenir en compte en tractar amb aquests materials. Proyecto surgido de la preocupación por la preservación del medio ambiente y la contribución a reducir las emisiones de CO₂ producidas en la fabricación, utilización y posterior reciclado de los materiales compuestos reforzados con fibra de vidrio. En este trabajo se plantea objetivamente la verdadera viabilidad de sustituir las fibras de vidrio por una fibra natural que garantice un comportamiento mecánico similar al obtenido utilizando fibras de vidrio como refuerzo en materiales compuestos. Se fabrican unos compuestos solo diferenciados por el tipo de refuerzo y caracterizados a partir de ensayos de tracción y flexión. A partir de los resultados de los ensayos se evalúan las diferencias entre compuestos y se determina el potencial de las fibras naturales. Posteriormente, se evalúa mediante simulaciones y análisis de esfuerzos si es factible aplicar estos compuestos en la fabricación de la cúpula de la moto eléctrica del equipo de competición UPC Vilanova E3 Team. Para finalizar, se detallan todas las consideraciones de reciclaje y sostenibilidad que objetivamente se deben tener en cuenta al tratar con estos materiales. This project stems from concern for preserving the environment and contributing to reduce carbon emissions produced in the manufacture, use and recycling of fibre-reinforced composite materials. It is decided to objectively establish the proper feasibility of replacing glass fibres with a natural fibre that ensures similar mechanical behaviour to that of glass fibres. The manufacture of composites is differentiated only by the type of reinforcement and is characterised by tensile and flexural testing. The results of the tests allow us to evaluate the differences between compounds and the potential of natural fibres is determined. In addition, simulations and effort analysis were conducted to evaluate whether these compounds were feasible for use in the manufacture of electric motorcycle domes for the UPC Vilanova E3 Team competition team. To conclude, all considerations of recyclability and sustainability that must be objectively taken into account are made.

Glass fibre is the most widely used material for reinforcing thermoplastic matrices presently and its use continues to grow. A significant disadvantage of glass fibre, however, is its impact on the environment, in particular, due to the fact that glass fibre-reinforced composite materials are difficult to recycle. Polyamide 6 is an engineering plastic frequently used as a matrix for high-mechanical performance composites. Producing polyamide monomer requires the use of a large amount of energy and can also pose harmful environmental impacts. Consequently, glass fibre-reinforced Polyamide 6 composites cannot be considered environmentally friendly. In this work, we assessed the performance of a road cycling pedal body consisting of a composite of natural Polyamide 11 reinforced with lignocellulosic fibres from stone-ground wood, as an alternative to the conventional glass fibre-reinforced Polyamide 6 composite (the most common material used for recreational purposes). We developed a 3D model of a pedal with a geometry based on a combination of two existing commercial choices and used it to perform three finite-element tests in order to assess its strength under highly demanding static and cyclic conditions. A supplementary life cycle analysis of the pedal was also performed to determine the ecological impact. Based on the results of the simulation tests, the pedal is considered to be mechanically viable and has a significantly lower environmental impact than fully synthetic composites.