Critical factors on manufacturing processes of natural fibre composites

Elevated environmental awareness of the general public in reducing carbon footprints and the use non-naturally decomposed solid wastes has resulted in an increasing use of natural materials, biodegradable and recyclable polymers and their composites for a wide range of engineering applications. The properties of natural fibre reinforced polymer composites are generally governed by the pre-treated process of fibre and the manufacturing process of the composites. These properties can be tailored for various types of applications by properly selecting suitable fibres, matrices, additives and production methods. Besides, due to the complexity of fibre structures, different mechanical performances of the composites are obtained even with the use of the same fibre types with different matrices. Some critical issues like poor wettability, poor bonding and degradation at the fibre/matrix interface (a hydrophilic and hydrophobic effect) and damage of the fibre during the manufacturing process are the main causes of the reduction of the composites' strength. In this paper, different manufacturing processes and their suitability for natural fibre composites, based on the materials, mechanical and thermal properties of the fibres and matrices are discussed in detail. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.