Using green composites in sailing and ships applications

The rising concern towards environmental issues and the need to find a realistic alternative to glass or carbon reinforced composites has led to an increased interest about polymer composites filled with natural-organic fillers, hence derived from renewable and biodegradable sources. The scope of this article is to raise awareness regarding the scientific and technological knowledge of the so-called green composite materials in order to support their larger application in a number of industry sectors. A general state of art of green composites is proposed, together with some experimental evidences on the mechanical proprieties for various ecological materials. As a practical demonstrator of this sustainable technology, the adoption of green composites as valid replacement of fiberglass in sailing and ships applications is also described here. This article will illustrate, in fact, step by step and in great detail, the Wet Lay-up Hand Laminating process used to realize a yacht deck hatch in ecological composite materials.