A Review on the Fabrication and Mechanical Characterization of Fibrous Composites for Engineering Applications

This review focuses on the fabrication and mechanical characterization of fibrous composites for engineering applications. Fibrous composites are materials composed of two or more distinct phases, with fibers embedded in a matrix. The properties of these materials depend on the properties of both the fibers and the matrix, as well as the way they are combined and fabricated. The various fabrication methods, along with the process parameters, used to manufacture synthetic and natural fibrous composites for engineering applications, including hand lay-up, compression molding, resin transfer molding, additive manufacturing, etc., are discussed. The mechanical characterization of fibrous composites, including their strength, stiffness, and toughness of both synthetic and natural fibrous composites are discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of fiber reinforcement are discussed, along with their influence on the resulting mechanical characteristics of the composites. It can be observed that the mechanical properties of fibrous composites can be tailored by controlling various factors, such as the fiber orientation, fiber volume fraction, and matrix type. Although fibrous composites offer significant advantages, several challenges hinder their widespread use in engineering applications. These challenges include high manufacturing costs, limited design guidelines, and difficulties in predicting their mechanical behavior under various loading conditions. Therefore, despite their unique properties, these challenges must be overcome for fibrous composites to realize their full potential as high-performance materials.