Developing plant fibre composites for structural applications by optimising composite parameters: a critical review

• Published in: Journal of materials science Vol. 48; no. 18; pp. 6083 - 6107
• Main Author: Shah, Darshil U.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.09.2013; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Cellulose; Cellulose fibers; Cellulosic resins; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Classical Mechanics; Composite materials industry; Crystallography and Scattering Methods; Fiber composites; Fiber reinforced plastics; Fiber volume; Fiber volume fraction; Fibers; Fibre; Fibres; Glass fiber reinforced plastics; Historic; Interfacial properties; Literature reviews; Load bearing components; Materials Science; Materials selection; Polymer matrix composites; Polymer Sciences; Polymers; Reinforced plastics; Reinforcement; Review; Solid Mechanics; Technology application; Tensile properties; Vegetable fibers; Fibre Volume Fraction; Plant Fibre; Interfacial Shear Strength; Tensile Stiffness; Bast Fibre
• ISSN: 0022-2461; 1573-4803
• DOI: 10.1007/s10853-013-7458-7

Plant fibres, perceived as environmentally sustainable substitutes to E-glass, are increasingly being employed as reinforcements in polymer matrix composites. However, despite the promising technical properties of cellulose-based fibres and the historic use of plant fibre reinforced plastics (PFRPs) in load-bearing components, the industrial uptake of PFRPs in structural applications has been limited. Through an up-to-date critical review of the literature, this manuscript presents an overview on key aspects that need consideration when developing PFRPs for structural applications, including the selection of (I) the fibre type, fibre extraction process and fibre surface modification technique, (II) fibre volume fraction, (III) reinforcement geometry and interfacial properties, (IV) reinforcement packing arrangement and orientation and (V) matrix type and composite manufacturing technique. A comprehensive materials selection chart (Ashby plot) is also produced to facilitate the design of a PFRP component, based on the (absolute and specific) tensile properties.