Pierre Ovlaque

• Ph.D. in Material Science
• Professor (Assistant) at IMT Nord Europe

This research exposes a new methodology to follow the evolution of polymer crystallinity during material extrusion thanks to the use of thermocouples and fast scanning calorimetry (FSC). Micrometric thermocouples allowed recording the thermal history at different locations on a polypropylene (PP) part, which was then used to reproduce the thermal p...

This research aimed to evaluate the improvement of the mechanical properties of composites and their reduction of weight induced by milkweed floss (MW). As MW is severely affected by surface treatments, a good inherent affinity with the matrix is required for efficient reinforcement. Thus, composites made of MW and polyamide (PA11) (or polypropylen...

In this study, unidirectional flax fabrics were used to reinforce poly(lactic acid) (PLA). Flax/PLA composites were produced by thermo-compression using as-received flax fibers and titanium dioxide (TiO2) coated flax fibers. The aim was to investigate the effect of annealing temperature and time, under quiescent or mechanical stress conditions, on...

Fiber treatments to enhance interfacial adhesion in natural fiber-reinforced composites generally induce the use of many chemicals. To address this issue, the present work aimed to develop innovative and ecological fiber treatments to produce 100%-green composites, by investigating interfacial adhesion between modified flax fibers and polylactic ac...

This study aims at measuring the interfacial properties of natural fibers in polypropylene composites by the mean of direct methods of characterization. Bamboo lamellae (BL) and polypropylene (PP) were used to produce laminated composites with continuous and homogenous interfaces. This research also focuses on the effect of maleic anhydride-grafted...

This study aimed at investigating the reinforcement effect of milkweed (MW) floss, a smooth and homogeneous natural fiber with a wide hollow lumen, on bio‐based polymer composites. First, MW floss was thoroughly characterized in terms of morphology, surface roughness, and tensile and thermal resistance. Then, MW floss was compared to flax fibers, o...

The aim of this study was to enhance the mechanical properties of milkweed floss (MW)/polylactic acid (PLA) composites by compatibilizing the interface between MW and PLA. MW floss is a natural fiber exhibiting a wide lumen and a thin cross-section. The addition of high specific surface area MW fibers to polymer matrices can lead to significant imp...

Importance of solving the environmental pollution has attracted the attention of designers and engineers in finding different solutions such as substituting polymer-based raw materials with the natural ones. Significant efforts are being made to find new sources of natural fibers. Among the newly discovered natural resources, Milkweed is considered...

Natural solid fibers such as flax, hemp or kenaf are usually mixed with polymeric matrices in order to produce fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) [1]. Thanks to the relative low density of natural fibers, these composites are more weight effective compared to traditional glass reinforced composites. The need of weight saving has led the automotive ind...