TY - JOUR A1 - Gallo, Emanuela A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Acierno, Domenico A1 - Cimino, F. A1 - Russo, P. T1 - Tailoring the flame retardant and mechanical performances of natural fiber-reinforced biopolymer by multi-component laminate N2 - The potential of a multi-component laminate composite material in terms of improved flame retardancy and adequate mechanical performance is discussed. A double-layer system based on a biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoates blend was obtained by compression molding. A thin halogen-free flame-retarded layer was located at the top of a kenaf-fiber-reinforced core. Kenaf fibers acted as a carbonization compound promoting charring and building up a superficial insulating layer that protected the material throughout combustion. The impact of different skin/core thickness on the thermal and fire properties was investigated. Synergistic flame retardancy occurs in the cone calorimeter. Chemical and fire investigations confirmed a changed pyrolysis behavior in multicomponent materials. Promising results are obtained in terms of mechanical performance: higher flexural and impact properties were observed in the single fiber-reinforced layer. KW - A. Fibres KW - A. Layered structures KW - D. Thermal analysis KW - D. Mechanical testing PY - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2012.07.005 SN - 1359-8368 VL - 44 IS - 1 SP - 112 EP - 119 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford [u.a.] AN - OPUS4-26741 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -