Natural Fibre Reinforced Composites Opportunities and Challenges

This paper briefly reviews the history of research into natural fibre reinforced composites and gives an overview of some of the challenges facing the research community in improving their performance. Given the good mechanical properties exhibited by fibres such as flax and hemp, this performance has not however been translated to that of the composites, in terms of strength and particularly toughness properties. The reasons for this are examined and possible solutions to this problem discussed. The effect of moisture on the properties of natural fibres is also evaluated. Due to the abundance of hydroxyl groups associated with the fibre cell wall polymers, the fibres are susceptible to the presence of moisture which can lead to swelling and changes in mechanical properties. These disadvantages can be overcome by chemical modification. Some potential modifications are examined and their effect on fibre properties illustrated.