Design and LCA of a bio-composite skateboard

Sammanfattning

This thesis examines the design and life cycle assessment (LCA) of a bio-compositeskateboard deck targeting improved sustainability while providing consistent stiffness.Conventional skateboard decks generally consist of 7-ply maple veneer and often useoil or formaldehyde based adhesives which contributes to climate and health problems.This project explores the suitability of bio-composites using wood veneers, flax fibres& bio-resins to create an eco-friendly skateboard deck.A standard prototype using wood veneer and epoxy was made along with test panelsusing various combinations of bio-based resin from Orineo with wood veneer andflax fibres. Manufacturing challenges such as excessive resin absorption, dry spotsand too soft panels demonstrated how difficult it was. Mechanical testing using 3-point bending and interlaminar shear strength showed lower performance for the bio-composites compared to the standard veneer epoxy model.To evaluate the environmental impacts of the skateboard models a cradle to gatelife cycle assessment was completed. The results showed substantially lower globalwarming potential but also higher cumulative energy demand for the flax Orineo-baseddesign compared to the veneer epoxy variant, although non-renewables were lower forthe flax Orineo design. Sensitivity analysis showed no great fluctuations in the LCAwith small changes to input data.The thesis concludes that while bio-composites have some performance limitationsthey still offer environmental benefits especially in reduced carbon footprint. Futurework should focus on optimising material combinations, improve manufacturingprocesses to enhance performance and sustainability and lastly examine end of lifealternatives.