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

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgement

The author would like to thank Dr Peter Schubel (the University of Nottingham), Dr Mike Clifford (the University of Nottingham), Dr Peter Licence (the University of Nottingham) and Prof Ton Peijs (Queen Mary, University of London) for their insightful discussions. The author also thanks the anonymous referees for suggesting valuable improvements to this study. For funding, the author thanks the University of Nottingham, the Nottingham Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre (EPSRC, Project title ‘Sustainable manufacture of wind turbine blades using natural fibre composites and optimal design tools’) and the University of Oxford (Oxford Silk Group).

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  1. Oxford Silk Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK

    Darshil U. Shah

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Shah, D.U. Developing plant fibre composites for structural applications by optimising composite parameters: a critical review. J Mater Sci 48, 6083–6107 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-013-7458-7

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