Apharwat

Fibreglass makes up the third highest concentration of the materials in a snowboard. There have been alternatives for many of the other parts in the manufacturing of skis and snowboards, for all except the fibreglass itself. We have seen replacements in the form of more sustainable wood species and production, using recycled steel for the edges, and recycled plastic for the base.
These developments have come alongside changes in printing technologies, which have reduced the effects of the graphics.
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Natural fibres provide a high-performance alternative to fibreglass, while preserving a similar level of strength.
This is particularly important while reinforcing a resin sandwich, as is created in the manufacturing of snowboards and skis.

Experiments were created with different layups to test the strength and flexibility of the natural fibres in a bio-based resin matrix, and to be compared with similar samples created out of traditional fibreglass processes.
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The test layups were created using different weights of cotton, using an industry standard epoxy containing ~35% plant based content.

The different layups provided insights into the strength and flexibility in terms of grain direction, layer count, interweaving grain directions and selective reinforcement to create maximum performance.