Mater Eng Res, 2019, 1(2): 69-85

DOI: 10.25082/MER.2019.02.006

REVIEW

Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites: history, types,

advantages and applications
Kamrun N. Keya1 Nasrin A. Kona1 Farjana A. Koly1 Kazi Madina Maraz1
∗
Md. Naimul Islam1 Ruhul A. Khan1
Abstract: Nowadays, the use of natural fiber reinforced polymer-based composites is gradually increas-
ing day by day for their many advantages for civil engineering construction applications. Due to their many ad-
vantages for polymer-based composite materials are widely used in civil construction, automobiles, aerospace,
and many others. Natural fibers such as jute, kenaf, pineapple, sugarcane, hemp, oil palm, flax, and leaf, etc.
are cheap, environmentally friendly, renewable, completely and partially biodegradable which can be utilized
to obtain new high-performance polymer materials. These composites are having satisfactory mechanical prop-
erties (i.e. tensile properties, flexural stress-strain behavior, fracture toughness, and fracture strength) which
make them more attractive than other composites. Due to easy availability and renewability, natural fibers can
be used as an alternative of synthetic fibers as a reinforcing agent. The aim of this paper is to review different
natural fibers reinforced based polymer composites with mechanical characterization, applications, also shows
the opportunities, challenges and future demand of natural composite material towards civil applications.
Keywords: natural fiber, mechanical properties, polymer composites

1 Introduction most powerful and most accurate weapons until the 14th
century. After that, from 1870 to 1890, the development
Composite materials have been using for thousands of of the composites material started to change because of
years. On that time, they have manufactured bricks using the chemical revolution. Using the polymerization tech-
mud which is made based on thousand-year-old technol- nique, new synthetic resins were converted liquid to solid
ogy. The composite term at first used in 1500 B.C. Early state in a cross-linked molecular structure whereas pre-
Egyptians and Mesopotamian builders and artisans made viously, synthetic resins contained celluloid, melamine,
strong and durable buildings using a mixture of mud and and Bakelite. In the modern era, the development of
straw. To make ancient composite products e.g. pottery the composites materials was not started until scientist
and boats, straw was used to provide reinforcement. Af- were focused on the development of plastics. In the
ter that, on 25 B.C. ten books on Architecture explained early 1900s, plastics materials such as vinyl, polystyrene,
the concrete structure and also described various types phenolic, and polyester were created and reinforced. In
of lime and mortars. From the ancient period, engineers, 1907, the first plastics Bakelite was made using synthetic
builders, artisans, and manufacturers were tried to de- components. These new synthetic materials were pro-
velop the application of the composites materials in a vided better performance than other composites materi-
different field in a more sophisticated way. In 1200 AD, als. However, for structural applications, plastic alone
Mongols designed the first composite bows which were could not provide enough strength and rigidity. So, for
made a combination of bamboo, wood, horns, cattle ten- the improvement of the strength and rigidity of the struc-
dons and silk bonded with natural pine resin which was ture, it’s urgent to provide more reinforcement. In 1935,
Received: April 21, 2019 Accepted: June 9, 2019 Published: June 11, 2019
Owens Corning first announced the first glass fiber and
∗
Correspondence to: Ruhul A. Khan, Polymer Composite Laboratory, Institute of Ra-
introduced the fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) industry.
diation and Polymer Technology, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, Dhaka 1000,
Bangladesh; Email: dr.ruhul khan@yahoo.com
The development of resins was started from the 1930s,
1
Polymer Composite Laboratory, Institute of Radiation and Polymer Technology, as we know it which methods/ techniques still used in
Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
the composites industry today. Combination of fiberglass
Citation: Keya KN, Kona NA, Koly FA, et al. Natural fiber reinforced polymer compos-
ites -history, types, advantages and applications. Mater Eng Res, 2019, 1(2): 69-85. and a plastic polymer produces an amazing robust struc-
Copyright: c 2019 Ruhul A. Khan, et al. This is an open access article distributed under ture. Unsaturated polyester resins (UPR) were patented
the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are in 1936. Other higher performance resin systems were
credited.

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70 Materials Engineering Research, June 2019, Vol. 1, No. 2

started to use from 1938.[1, 2] bamboo fiber reinforced based composite, the effect of
Nowadays, people start to depend on composite ma- bamboo fiber content, fiber length, bamboo to glass fiber
terials and they start to utilize composite material in ratio and shows the mechanical properties of bamboo-
different aspects. Natural fiber composite materials glass fiber reinforced plastics. Jiang et al.[10] discussed
are eco-friendly, lightweight, strong, renewable, cheap, the mechanical behavior of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-
biodegradable and sustainable. Natural fiber has good co-3-Hydroxyvalerate) with bamboo fiber composites.
properties compared to synthetic fiber.[1] Recently, nat- Okubo et al.[11] developed new composite material us-
ural fibers used as an alternative reinforcement in poly- ing bamboo fiber and polypropylene and studied the me-
mer composites which has gained attention among many chanical behavior of that composites.
researchers and scientists due to their advantages over Braga R. A, et al[12] studied the mechanical and ther-
conventional synthetic materials.[3] These natural fibers mal properties of polyester hybrid composites (i.e. jute
include jute, hemp, sisal, kenaf, coir, banana, bam- and glass fiber) and compared and analyzed their prop-
boo, sugarcane, flax, and many others[4] which pro- erties (i.e. flexural, thermal, density and impact prop-
vide good mechanical properties compared to man-made erties). He explained in his paper that jute fiber based
fibers and their cost are reasonable, they are recyclable composites showed a better composition than glass fiber.
and renewable, reduce energy consumption, less health A. Balaji et al[13] discussed about the utilization and
risk and nonabrasive to the equipment, non-irritation future of natural fibers and bio-composite material and
to the skin.[5] It can be used as a reinforced material also discussed their applications which can be used in
because of its thermoplastic and thermosetting behav- making industrial products because of its eco-friendly
ior. Thermosetting resins such as epoxy, unsaturated behavior, low cost, easily available behavior. Natural
polyester resin, polyester, polyurethane, and phenolic are fiber and bio-composites are used to make household fur-
commonly used for manufacturing composites material niture, fencing, window, decking, flooring, sports equip-
which composite material gives a higher performance in ment, lightweight automobile components etc.
various applications. They provide adequate mechani- In this paper, a review of natural fiber and natural fiber
cal properties and their price is reasonable. Because of based reinforced composite is studied. The paper empha-
their good properties such as high strength, low density, sizes on the type of the natural fiber, their physical and
and ecological advantages over conventional composites, mechanical properties, their application on different as-
natural fibers are getting more attention among academi- pects, advantages, disadvantages and also address some
cian, researchers, and students and also in industry. Due of the basic issues to solve the limitation of the natural
to their non-carcinogenic and bio-degradable, the use of fiber polymer based composites.
natural composites is increasing day by day. In 2010,
U$2.1 billion natural fiber reinforced polymer compos- 2 Natural fiber
ites (NFPC) used in different industry sector around the
whole world and after that industry will keep huge in- Natural fibers are simple fibers which are manmade or
terest on the NFPC and after 5 years (20112016), the not synthetic. Natural fiber can be found in plants and
NFPCs industry is expected to increase the use of nat- animals.[3] The use of natural fiber from both resources
ural fiber around 10%.[2] Natural fiber is very cost ef- is renewable and nonrenewable. There are many types
fective material that why its use in different sectors such of natural cellulose fiber such as flax, hemp, sisal, ba-
as aerospace, packaging, automobile, building and con- nana, kenaf, jute, and oil palm fruit bunch cellulose fiber.
struction sectors, railway coach interiors and storage de- Composite materials made from jute fiber gained consid-
vice and also is used as a replacement of high-cost glass erably more attention in the last few decades, so far. The
fiber.[6–8] Though natural fiber has several advantages plants, which produce cellulose fibers can be classified
(i.e. low density, low cost, biodegradability, etc.), it into bast fibers (jute, flax, ramie, hemp, and kenaf), seed
has some disadvantages as well such as high moisture fibers (cotton, coir, and kapok),leaf fibers (sisal, pineap-
absorption. Therefore, chemical treatments are neces- ple, and abaca), grass and reed fibers (rice, corn, and
sary to control high moisture absorption. After chem- wheat), and core fibers (hemp, kenaf, and jute) as well as
ical treatment, the mechanical properties of the natural all other kinds (wood and roots).[4, 5] The plants, which
fibers are greatly affected by many factors such as fiber produce cellulose fibers can be classified into bast fibers
length, fiber aspect ratio, fiber-matrix adhesion, etc. Sev- (jute, flax, ramie, hemp, and kenaf), seed fibers (cotton,
eral research works have been already done using a nat- coir, and kapok),leaf fibers (sisal, pineapple, and abaca),
ural fiber. grass and reed fibers (rice, corn, and wheat), and core
Thwe and Liao[9] studied the mechanical properties of fibers (hemp, kenaf, and jute) as well as all other kinds
(wood and roots).[4, 7] South East Asia, Indonesia, and

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 Kamrun N Keya, et al. Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites: history, types, advantages and applications 71

Malaysia, in particular, being top producers of palm oil,

have problems in disposing of the empty fruit bunch cel-
lulose fibers and therefore, it is of interest to convert the
waste into useful reinforcement. Advantages of natural
fibers as plastic reinforcement are due to its low density,
renewability, biodegradability, non-toxicity, good insula-
tion property and machine wear. The low density of natu-
ral fibers is very beneficial in the automotive industry. A
study has been carried out which, shows that when 30%
of glass fibers is substituted with 65% of hemp fibers, the
net energy saving of 50,000MJ (3 tons of emission) can
be achieved.[6]

3 Classification of natural fibers

Natural fibers are any kind of hair-like raw material
which are directly found from vegetable, plant, animal
and mineral sources and after that those raw materials
are converted into nonwoven fabrics and after that, they
Figure 1. Shows the classification of natural fibers
can be turned into filaments, thread, or rope and then
used as a component of composites materials. They can
also be used to make paper. There are thousands of leaves e.g. sisal, agave, abaca, henequen, pineapple fiber.
natural fibers available in nature and many researchers (c) Skin fiber or bast fiber: These fibers are collected
are showed their interests on natural fibers, they utilize from the skin or bast surrounding the stem of the plant.
natural fibers, develop the use of natural fibers and try Skin or bast fibers have higher tensile strength than other
to improve the properties of composites using natural fibers. For that reason, these fibers are used for packag-
fibers.[4, 7, 8] Figure 1 shows the classification of natu- ing, fabric, durable yarn, and paper. Such as flax, jute,
ral fibers. Natural fibers can be found from plant, animal banana, hemp, kenaf, ramie, rattan, vine fibers, soybean
and mineral sources.[14–16] According to their resources, fiber, and banana fibers.
natural fibers can be classified and divided into animal (d) Fruit fiber: These fibers are collected from the fruit
fibers, plant cellulose fibers, and mineral fibers. of the plant, such as coconut (coir) fiber.
(1) Animal Fibers which contains wool, silk, hair/fur, (e) Stalk fiber: Fibers are found from the stalks of the
alpaca fiber, avian fiber. It includes sheep’s wool, plants such as straws of wheat, rice, barley, maize, rye,
goat hair, like alpaca fiber and mohair from Angora and oat.
goats, rabbits wool, Siberian weasel, ox hair, hog bris- (f) Cane, grass and reed fiber: Fibers are collected
tle, camel-hair, horse hair, feathers, and feathers fiber. from its original nature source e.g. bamboo, bagasse,
(2) Mineral fiber: Mineral fibers are found from na- sabai, communis, and phragmites.
ture or sometimes it’s required slight modification where
it can be categorized as asbestos, ceramic fibers, and 4 Different types of natural fibers and their
Metal fiber. Asbestos is naturally occurring mineral
application
fiber-like serpentine, amphiboles, and anthophyllite; ce-
ramic fibers are glass fibers, aluminum oxide, silicon car-
Recently, many researchers are concentrated on natu-
bide, and boron carbide; aluminum fibers are one kind of
ral fiber composites which are intermingled with resins.
mineral fibers.
The natural fiber composites are already used in many
(3) Plant fiber: Plant fibers are mainly cellulose fibers.
engineering applications. The jute, coir, flax, and sisal
Plant fibers are categorized into primary and secondary
are discussed below:
depending on their utilization. Primary plants are grown
form their fibers while secondary plants are plants ex- 4.1 Jute fiber
tracted from the waste product. This fiber can be further
categorized into following: Jute (Corchorus capsularis/ Corchorus olitorius) is
(a) Seed fiber: Fibers which are collected from the bast fibers which is mainly grown for its fiber and it is
seed and seed case e.g. cotton and kapok. one of the cheapest natural fibers and also an important
(b) Leaf fiber: These fibers are collected from the fiber after cotton fiber.[17] Corchorus capsularis type of

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72 Materials Engineering Research, June 2019, Vol. 1, No. 2

jute is found in Indo-Burma including South China, and posite.[28, 29] Jute-coir hybrid composites used to make
Corchorus olitorius is found in Africa. The history of doors and windows beside in the transportation sector,
jute starts from 206 BC-221 AD; jute paper was found railway coaches for sleeper berth backing, for building
in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, China which was pro- interiors.[25]
duced jute paper from Western Han Dynasty.[18] His-
torical documents show that jute fiber was used in In- 4.3 Kenaf Fiber
dia from the 16th century during the era of Mughal Em- Kenaf fiber (Hibiscus Cannabinus) is extracted from
peror Akbar. The British East India Company exported the bast (outer) and core (inner) fibers of the kenaf plant
jute from India. After that, the jute fiber industry grew which shows similar characteristics like jute. Kenaf fiber
rapidly around the whole world especially in Dundee, is found mainly in Africa and Asia. Kenaf plant can
Scotland in 1800. Jute is grown in Bangladesh, India, grow up to a height of 2.4-6 m within 150 days.[26] The
Myanmar, Nepal, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, United States commercially use kenaf fiber, they culti-
Cambodia, Brazil, and some other countries. Among vate various types of kenaf which cultivation totally de-
them, Bangladesh, India, and China are the best place pend on the weather conditions. It has many advan-
for the growth of jute. Jute fiber has good insulation tages such as used for fabricating composites, produce
properties, high strength to weight ratio, high aspect ra- twin, rope, sackcloth,[20] paper production, animal foods,
tio, good mechanical properties, and good thermal prop- manufacture oil, medicine, food additive,[25] and also
erties.[19] Jute fiber-based composite has been used for used for industrial applications, platform for mushroom
making a door, window, furniture, automotive, aircraft, farming, environmental cleaning, absorbents, automo-
water pipes, false roofing, floor tiles, etc.[20] T. Subash tive industries and textiles, building materials, oil and
et al[21] discussed bast fibers reinforced green compos- chemical absorbents.[8, 15] Webber III[34] illuminated that
ites which are used for aircraft indoor structures appli- kenaf plant possesses many useful component e.g. to
cations. The natural fibers such as jute, kenaf, bamboo, stalk, leaves and seeds) and these three component are
bagasse, coir, sisal have been provided good materials divided into several usable portions such as fibers and
which are used in the aerospace and automotive indus- fiber strands, oils, proteins and allelopathic.[28] Kenaf
try. Because of its low density and lightweight proper- fiber can be affected by many factors such as photosensi-
ties, natural fiber can make sustainable products which tivity, plant populations, growing season, planting date,
can reduce a tremendous amount of energy consumption and cultivar and plant maturity.[28] Its fiber properties
in the aerospace industry. Jute fiber is used as packaging depend on sources, age and separating technique.[29] Ke-
material (bags), carpet backing, ropes, door, furniture, naf fiber exhibits low density, high mechanical properties
floor tiles, yarns, and also used for wall decoration.[21] and biodegradability.
Natural fiber like jute fiber has many advantages such as
it has high tensile strength, better water resistance prop- 4.4 Sisal
erties, bio-degradable and environmentally friendly.
Sisal is produced in East Africa and Brazil which is
4.2 Coir obtained from the Agave sisalana plant. The plant looks
like giant pineapples, during the harvest the leaves are
Coir fiber comes from the husk of the coconut fiber removed from the pulp and plant material and the tough
which has a long life compared to other fibers due to fibers are left behind. Then using hand or machine, soft
its lignin properties cite22. Coir fiber-reinforced com- tissue is worn from the fibers. After that, the fibers are
posites can be fabricated with both thermoset and ther- dried and brushed the fibers for removing the remain-
moplastic resins. The mechanical properties of the coir ing dirt from the fiber. Sisal produces strong fiber. It is
composite totally depend on its interfacial adhesion char- fully biodegradable, high tenacity, high tensile strength,
acteristics.[22] Coir fiber reinforced composites manu- tough, abrasion resistant material, acid and alkali re-
factured for social, economic and industrial applications sistance, corrosion resistance, sea water resistance,[30]
such as packaging material, helmets, rope, and finish- green composites. Sisal fiber is too tough for textiles and
ing nets, brushes, mattresses, automotive interior, pan- fabrics and it’s not suitable for wall finishing. It is mainly
eling and roofing as building materials, postboxes, mir- used mats, roofs, carpets, used for cement reinforcement,
ror casing, storage tank, projector cover, voltage stabi- automobile industry, slippers, clothes, disc buffers. But,
lizer cover.[23, 24] But it has some limitation such as high the global demand for sisal fiber products is started to de-
moisture content which can be treated using chemical crease since 1998-2000. Sisal fibers are durable, it has a
treatment. Untreated coir based composite showed less low maintenance cost, recyclable, does not absorb mois-
mechanical properties than pretreated coir based com- ture, good sound and impact absorbing properties.[29]

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 Kamrun N Keya, et al. Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites: history, types, advantages and applications 73

4.5 Flax dustrial applications, medicinal, edible, textile materials

and in the manufacture of yarns and handicrafts in many
Flax is one kind of cellulosic natural fibers and it is
countries. PALF is relatively inexpensive, good chemi-
bast fiber also. Flax fiber is grown in temperate regions
cal compositions, higher mechanical strength than jute
and it’s extracted from the skin of the stem of its own
fiber, high specific strength, rigidity, and flexural and
plant and then manufactured into linen yarn. It is one
high torsional rigidity. PALF can be used as a raw ma-
of the oldest fibers and now it is mainly used for sev-
terial in the industries to make the reinforcing composite
eral composite applications. Flax fiber is flexible, lus-
matrixes.[5, 36]
trous, it has good abrasion resistance, and it can absorb
moisture and dry quickly. Day by day flax fiber reinforce 4.9 Bamboo Fiber
based composites value getting higher in textile markets
because flax fiber is two-three times stronger than cot- Bamboo fibers are cellulose fiber which is extracted
ton fiber. There are other advantages of flax fibers as from natural bamboo. A mature bamboo plant grows
well such as low density, high strength and stiffness, high up to 40m and within six to eight months bamboo can
toughness and biodegradability.[31] Flax fiber is used as reach its mature size. Recently, bamboo fibers are getting
a raw material in the paper industry, manufacturing rope more attention on the world market. There are around
and twine, for canvas and webbing equipment and also 1000 species of bamboo recognized worldwide. Bamboo
used as table wear, clothing apparel, sewing thread, sur- grows very rapidly. Its fiber has many advantages over
gical thread, decorative fabrics, etc. cotton fiber. Bamboo fiber used as raw material in tex-
tiles industries. Its also utilize for making fabric which
4.6 Hemp is known as “Meso”. Bamboo fiber is totally environ-
mental friendly fiber which has unique quality antibac-
Hemp is another important member of bast fibers
terial property, moisture absorption, elasticity, UV resis-
which is naturally environmentally friendly and oldest
tant. Bamboo fiber has natural antibacterial elements that
fiber and it grows in temperate climates. Hemp fibers al-
why it is used building materials. Bamboo fiber is used
ways provide excellent mechanical strength and youngs
for manufacturing bathroom products, decorating items,
modulus. Hemp fiber is used in textile, paper, and rope
hygiene products, etc.[37, 38]
and oil production industries. It was first used in Asia.
Currently, the European Union uses hemp fiber for non- 4.10 Abaca
food agriculture. Hemp fiber is stronger, more absorbent,
more resistant, high tensile strength, high luster, and The abaca collects from the stalk of the plant which
durable than cotton fiber. Hemp fiber is used in rug and is durable and resistant to seawater. Abaca fiber has
carpet manufacturing and also used for ship cordage as many advantages such as low density, appropriate stiff-
it is not rotted by water. Hemp fibers are used for inte- ness, and mechanical properties and high disposability
rior design, apparel fabrics, also hemp fiber is used for and renewability, recyclable and biodegradable. It is one
blocking the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. A recent re- of the strongest cellulose fibers which is used for marine
port shows that one-third of the total production in China applications, resistant to saltwater, commonly used for
is based on hemp fiber.[32, 33] However, the application of fishing nets, used for meat casings and also abaca fiber
hemp fiber is still limited in the textile industry. is used in the production of the tea bags; also utilize as
a raw material and that raw material is used in the pro-
4.7 Bagasse cessing of high-quality paper, machinery filters, hospital
textiles, electric conductor, etc.[5, 36]
Bagasse is the fibrous residue which remains after sug-
ars are extracted from the sugarcane. It is extracted from
5 Composite material
renewable resources. It is one of the most eco-friendly
fibers which is used for a various application such as a The composite material is a combination of two or
biofuel in renewable power generation and also used to more materials such as reinforcement, fillers, and a
manufacture the composites materials.[5, 36] binder which are used in a different composition. Com-
posites are hybrid materials made of a polymer resin re-
4.8 Pineapple Leaf Fiber (PALF)
inforced by fibers, combining the high mechanical and
Pineapple is a native tropical plant which was first physical performance of the fibers and the appearance,
found on the island of West Indies, South America and bonding and physical properties of polymers, the short
Brazil.[34, 35] Nowadays, different types of pineapple and discontinuous fiber composites are responsible for
plants are available which are utilized as a fabric for in- the biggest share of successful applications, whether

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74 Materials Engineering Research, June 2019, Vol. 1, No. 2

Figure 2. Photographs of sources of some natural fibers

measured by the number of parts or quantity of material high mechanical strength than other non-composite ma-
used. terials.
(5) Composite materials are lighter materials than
6 Why composites? other materials. Its weight is lighter compared to woods
and metals. Because of these properties, composite ma-
terials are used in automobile and aircraft. Less weight
Nowadays, advantages of composite materials over
means better fuel efficiency that means it will increase
conventional materials increasing for its higher specific
the speed of the aircraft.
strength, higher water absorption quality and inferior fire
(6) Composites have a good resistance quality. Com-
resistance, stiffness and fatigue characteristics. Over the
posites can resist damage from the weather. It has good
past few decades, polymer composites materials used as
properties where chemicals are stored.
a replacement of conventional materials in various ap-
(7) It has high-impact strength, composites have a
plications. It can meet diverse design requirements and
quality to absorb impacts.
because of its good mechanical and physical properties,
(8) Composite materials are used to eliminate joints
composites materials meet the requirements of a partic-
and providing simplification and integrating design com-
ular application. The properties and advantages of the
pared to other conventional materials.
polymer composites are given below:[5, 39]
(9) Composites show outstanding corrosion resistance
(1) Composite materials have good adaptability in a
and fire retardancy.
different situation. Because when any fiber (e.g. jute)
(10) Using composites materials, the designer can able
combined with other materials to serve a specific pur-
to create almost any complex shape or form and it al-
pose, it shows better physic-mechanical properties than
ready meets performance needs and complex design re-
other materials.
quirements. So, the designer gets more flexibility when
(2) The tensile strength of composites is around four
they design complex structures.
to six times higher than steel or aluminum.
(11) Composites are works as a good insulator. It
(3) The strength-weight ratio of the composite mate-
shows excellent thermal properties.
rial is higher than other materials.
(12) Composites materials have a long life which re-
(4) The composite material has high stiffness ratio,

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 Kamrun N Keya, et al. Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites: history, types, advantages and applications 75

quires little maintenance. Many composites offer good usage includes various components in aircraft, automo-
impact, fatigue, and environmental resistance. biles, helicopters, spacecraft, boats, ships, offshore plat-
forms and also used in chemical processing equipment,
7 Physical and mechanical properties of nat- sports goods, and civil infrastructure such as buildings
ural fiber composites and bridges.[59] Now several industries are encouraged to
use natural fibers because those products are more envi-
The advantage of natural fiber over synthetic fiber ronmentally sound and reduce their dependence on fossil
is increasing rapidly because of its low cost, less fuels.[61] The worldwide use of natural fiber compos-
weight, low manufacturing cost, abundance, renewable ites has been grown to market around 11% from 2014 to
resources, relatively good physical and mechanical prop- 2019, and its extent $531.2 million in 2016, then market
erties such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, bend- share of the natural fibers are increased around 28%.[60]
ing strength and bio-degradable and environmentally Application of the natural fiber composites are given be-
friendly qualities. Natural fibers have been cultivated and low:
used especially in rural developing countries for creat- 8.1 In Aerospace applications
ing non-structural applications such as bag, broom, fish-
net, and filters. Natural fibers also can be used as a roof Approximately 50% components of the airspace are
material and wall insulation. A large variation is found made from natural composites. Wright Brothers’ Flyer 1,
when we compare the properties of natural fiber.[40] Sev- was the first flight where they used natural fiber compos-
eral factors like the kind of natural fibers, surface chem- ites e.g. wood and fabrics.[62] Currently, natural compos-
istry between fiber, type of fibers, moisture content and ites are used to develop the helicopters, military fighter
form of fibers and other composition (e.g. epoxy resin) aircraft, small and big civil transport aircraft, cockpit,
and the quality of the interface that must be considered satellites, launch vehicles and missiles because those nat-
to achieve desired mechanical properties of the natural ural composite have properties to reduce the weight of
fiber reinforced based composites. The properties of the the aircrafts. Rudder, spoilers, LG doors, engine cowl-
natural fibers depend on the types of natural fibers, their ings, keel beam, airbrakes, elevators, turbine engine fan
cultivation, growing period and retting or extracting pro- blades, propellers, rear bulkhead, wing ribs, main wings,
cess,[39–41] isolation and processing method.[40] Many re- Interior components etc. those all components of the air-
searched have been carried out to find the impact of the crafts are fabricated using natural composites.[63] Fig-
fiber types and processing methods on tensile strength, ure 3 shows that the Cockpit is also made of composite
Young’s modulus, density, and elongation at break of material. Gururaja M N et al.[64] provide a review on
the natural fiber composites (Mueller and Krobjilowski current uses and future scope and applications of hybrid
2004; Mukhopadhyay and Fangueiro 2009; Bledzki and composites which are used for manufacturing automo-
Jazzkiewiez 2010). Mechanical properties of the natural tive, aerospace, marine, wind power etc. because of its
fibers especially flax, abaca, kenaf, ramie, hemp, jute, availability and good mechanical properties.
sisal, bamboo, and bagasse are very good and strength
and modulus are higher than synthetic fiber.[42] Table 1
shows the type and mechanical properties of the common
natural fibers. It is shown in the table that flax and kevlar
49 have higher tensile strength than other natural fibers
and another things we can observed from the table that
natural fibers have low density and reasonable Young’s
modulus.[7]

8 Application of natural fiber composite ma-

terial

Natural fiber reinforced composites are promising and

elegant materials. Because of their durability and in-
tegrity, the utilization of natural fiber based composite
materials is increasing day by day.[58] Nowadays, natural
fiber reinforced based composite materials is used almost Figure 3. The Cockpit is made of composite material
in every type of advanced engineering structures. Their

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76 Materials Engineering Research, June 2019, Vol. 1, No. 2

Table 1. Shows different kind of natural fiber mechanical properties for composites applications
Tensile Strength Elongation at Break Young’s modulus Density
Fiber Reference
(MPa) (%) (GPa) (g/cm3)
Jute 400-800 1.5 10-30 1.46 [43]
Sisal 400-700 05-14 09-12 1.45 [44]
Coir 175 30 4-6 1.2 [45]
Hemp 550-900 1.6 70 1.48 [46]
Cotton 287-597 2-10 6-10 1.21 [47]
Pineapple 413 1.6 6.21 1.526 [48]
Abaca 980 10-12 9.0-28 1.5 [49]
Kenaf 930 1.6 53 1.45 [50]
Ramie 511-635 3.6-3.8 9.4-22 1.5 [51]
Oil palm 71 11 1.703 - [52]
Flax 500–1500 2.7–3.2 27.6 - [53]
Banana 10.854 6.085 1.63 1.02 [54]
Bagasse 290 1.1 17 1.25 [13]
Kevlar 49 3650 2.5 124 1.44 [55]
Date palm 97-196 2-4.50 2.50-5.40 1-1.20 [56]
Bamboo 73-505 4.11 10-40 4.3 [57]

8.2 In Automotive industry (Malaysian national carmaker), and Cambridge industry

(an auto industry in the United States) are manufactured
different components of the car using natural compos-
From the past few decades, composites are used to
ites, mainly based on polyester or polypropylene, and
make low weight, safer, easy to recycle and more fuel-
fibers like hemp, flax, jute, or sisal. Because of mar-
efficient vehicles.[65] The natural fiber composites have
keting demand rather than technical demands, the global
been started to use in automotive industries from the
demand for natural fiber reinforced composites in the au-
1990s. The main components of the car like interior
tomotive industry is increasing rapidly.[67]
door panels, roofs, seat backboards, trunks, dashboards,
Gururaja M N et al.[62] give a review on recent ap-
hatch, mats, exterior panels, wheels, etc. are fabricated
plications and future scope of hybrid composites mate-
by natural fibers, Figure 4.[66] The automobile industrys
rial and the Author concluded that hybrid composite ma-
annual demand for natural fiber increasing day by day
terials are used in automotive, aerospace, marine, wind
and in 2005, around 45,000 tons of natural fibers used in
power, etc. The hemp fiber has been used for manufac-
the automotive industry.[66] Still, in these sectors, natu-
turing lightweight designed seats for the car.
ral fiber composites are most widely applied. German
auto companies (BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Audi
Group, Ford, Opel, and Daimler Chrysler) use natural
fiber to make door panels, headliner panel, boot lining,
seat backs, noise insulation panels, molded foot, and well
linings for BMW; seat back, side and back door panel,
boot lining, hat rack, and spare tire lining are fabricated
from natural fiber to make Audi. Door panels, B-pillars,
and boot lining are made from natural fiber to create
Ford. Internal engine cover, engine insulation, sun visor,
interior insulation, bumper, wheel box, and roof cover
are fabricated from natural fiber to make Mercedes- Figure 4. Production of door from hemp fiber
Benz. Other automotive companies like Proton company

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 Kamrun N Keya, et al. Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites: history, types, advantages and applications 77

8.3 In Chemical Industry ity, friction resistance, abrasion resistance and vibration
attenuation, high design freedom, high strength and high
In the chemical industry, composite materials are used
design freedom and can be managed and shaped eas-
because of their fire resistance properties, lightweight,
ily, so composite materials now widely used in making
moldability, and resistance to chemicals properties.
sports equipment. Several sports materials are now made
Chemical industries are used to make drive shaft, ducts,
using composite materials e.g. skis, surfboards, wind-
stacks, fan blades, underground storage tanks, casings,
surfing, tennis boards, slats, badminton, fishing rods,
composite vessels columns, reactors, ducting, piping,
golf clubs, golf club heads, sword, climbing ropes var-
etc.[62]
ious lines, etc. are fabricated from natural fiber compos-
8.4 In medical sector ites.[68, 69] When composite materials are used to make
sports equipment, which improved around 30% 50%
Nowadays the use of composite materials is increas- mechanical properties of that equipment. Mechanical
ing rapidly and it is also started to implement in medical performance is good and the weight is lighter than the
applications as well. A composite material is now used other sports materials. Because of its excellent mechani-
as a medical device and those materials are interacted cal properties like degrees, modulus and elastic modulus,
with the biological system to improve its quality. Over sports equipment are more suitable for use in.[69]
the past few decades, the composite material has used in
many ways; sometimes it utilizes to improve synthetic 8.6 In electrical field
materials, to develop surgical technique and steriliza-
tion methods. Some composite materials used in differ- Composite materials have high strength, low thermal
ent medical applications nowadays. Composite materials expansion, high thermal conductivity, low dielectric con-
have found to use in orthopedic applications, particularly stant and high/low electrical conductivity which is an im-
in hip joint replacement, bone fixation plates, bone ce- portant requirement for the electric field. Natural fiber-
ment, and bone grafts. Composite materials are also used based composite materials not only use as an insula-
in clinical practice to restore anterior and posterior teeth. tor but also behave as a conductor which is used in the
The damaged or missing tooth is replaced using com- electric field. The composite materials sometimes uti-
posite materials and its one kind of artificial permanent lize as connectors, terminals, household plugs, switches,
implant. Currently, in medical sector composite materi- circuit boards, etc. the electrical applications of nat-
als used a lot to improve the quality of life of the patient ural fiber based composite materials have been deter-
such as vascular grafts, intraocular lenses, pacemakers, mined based on dielectric constant, loss factor and vol-
biosensors, heart valves, artificial hearts, sometimes use ume resistivity.[70] Electric properties of pineapple re-
to restore the functions of the body like tissues or organs, inforced polyethylene composites have been studied by
etc.[62] Figure 5 shows that composite materials are used Jayamol et al.[71] The electric properties of sisal fiber re-
to replace worn amalgam. inforced composite showed that the composite has elec-
tric anisotropic behavior. Saxena et al. have studied the
variation of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity
of banana fiber reinforced polyester composite and also
add glass fiber with banana fiber to improve its thermal
conductivity properties and they found that the thermal
conductivity of composites increased when they mixed
different types of fiber together and made a new compos-
ite matrix.[72] They also found that when they increased
the percentage of glass fiber thermal conductivity of the
composites increased and decreases when they used only
pure banana fiber. Electronics composites can be used as
an expensive filler, e.g. silver particles, which electronics
Figure 5. Worn Amalgam replaced with composite materials composites deliver high electrical conductivity. The ap-
plication of electronics composites in electronics include
interconnections, fuel cell devices, electronic packaging,
8.5 In sports
capacitors, thermistors, dielectrics, piezoelectric func-
Composite materials are used for making sports equip- tions and ferroelectric memories, printed circuit boards,
ment because of their characteristics like lightweight, interlayer dielectrics, die to attach, lids, thermal inter-
low maintenance and durability, superior thermo stabil- face materials, electrical contacts, connectors, heat sinks,

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78 Materials Engineering Research, June 2019, Vol. 1, No. 2

housings, etc.[73, 74] Composite materials have been used in several construc-
tion sectors such as industrial supports, tanks, long-span
8.7 Boards of musical instruments roof structures, tanks, high rise building and lightweight
Now, various types of musical instrument components doors, window, furniture, lightweight building, bridge
are made from composite materials including saxophone components, and complete bridge systems.[78] Day by
reeds, neck stiffeners, bows, and string instrument top day in the construction sectors, composite materials play
plates. Composite materials are used to make musical an important role to make sustainable development. The
instruments and it’s replaced the wood. Composite ma- construction sector is now the biggest consumer of raw
terials made of fibers and resin has the purpose to imi- and natural materials. Because of the increasing number
tate the wood structure and from 1975 composite mate- of population, consumer demands to increase rapidly.[?]
rials were used to make guitar and violin top plates.[75] During the last few decades, researchers are trying to
Figure 6 shows musical instruments (i.e. composite gui- develop new composite materials using different com-
tar and violin top plates) which are made of composite binations of polymer matrix. After that researchers are
material. There are several reasons to choose composite started showing interest on the developments of natural
materials for making musical instruments. Because it has fiber composites and their application. Several studies
some properties like less material variability, lower pro- have been already done on natural fiber composites. Re-
duction time, better resistance to environmental changes. searchers are trying to improve the qualities of compos-
Natural fibers such as bamboo and wood fibers based ites so they may be strong, lightweight, long-lived and
composite materials have been used to make in several inexpensive to produce new composites, so their interest
musical applications.[76] But because of the shortage in natural fiber composites increasing gradually.[78] Why
of wood or bamboo, people are willing to use different researchers show interest to use by-products or wastes of
kinds of composite materials as well such as bast fiber, industries or natural fiber reinforced composite because
flax fiber, etc. Phillips and Lessard[77] studied the ap- these materials are locally available, renewable, sustain-
plication of flax fiber composites in guitar boards and able and able to reduce the environmental related prob-
compared them with the properties of Sitka spruce and lems and also get more flexible in use and deliver high-
they found that flax fiber composites can substitute for performance structures. Now people are paying strong
Sitka spruce. The German company Jakob Winter man- attention in an environment so they try to pay more at-
ufactured violin boards and saxophone cases using hemp tention to the development of the recyclable and environ-
or flax fiber and PP matrix and that composition creates mentally sustainable composite materials which can be
a promising market product. Furthermore, the Ameri- produced in low cost and which can be prepared from by-
can company Blackbird manufactured guitar ( Figure 6) products or wastage. When the use of natural fibers (e.g.
boards with a composite of linen fiber fabric and bio- as hemp, jute, bagasse, sisal) composites are increas-
resins and using the composition of line fiber and bio- ing rapidly in the construction sector, those composites
resins improved the resistance quality and this composite helps in reducing carbon emission which is ecologically
guitar acoustics characteristic is much better than con- and economically beneficial.[5] Now natural fibers have
ventional wood boards. been used for manufacturing several civil engineering
construction components such as door, windows, panels,
fiber boards, and frames, furniture, and sports goods.[80]
In the construction sector wood or timber based compos-
ites can be used to manufacture those components. The
coir fibers are very strong and when coir fiber with poly-
mers together make a better composite, it can be used for
manufacturing of wall panels, false ceiling, partitions,
and roofing boards. Wall panels, false ceiling, flooring,
roofing, lightweight partition walls, and door windows
Figure 6. (a) Composite Guitar; (b) Violin top plates made of
composites materials shutters can be manufactured using rice husk and syn-
thetic resin-based composites. With the help of PVC and
jute fiber red mud can be manufactured roofing sheets,
8.8 Construction materials panels, etc. which are strong enough to carry the load,
cheaper, durable, and efficient and serve as a good con-
Construction materials is another important applica- struction material. In the construction sector straw and
tion of natural fiber composites. Composite materials paper also play a vital role, using those materials people
play a vital role in the building and construction sector.

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 Kamrun N Keya, et al. Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites: history, types, advantages and applications 79

are already made the false ceiling, light partition walls, from starch and some grass fibers to make tableware
wall panels, roofing, and cladding. In China most of and plates, and their composite can be able to degrade
the people are relying on natural fiber composites and within 40days.[62] Natural fiber fabric-biopolymer com-
they are trying to build their building using natural fiber posites particularly bamboo fiber fabric-PLA compos-
composites like outdoor bed boards, indoor decorative ites have been used for packaging materials which are
boards, park benches, Bridges components, developed renewable, environmentally friendly materials that can
for building beams and columns,[79] fences, and building successfully substitute the plastics. Since natural fiber
templates;[80] fittings (towel rails, door and window han- fabric-biopolymer composites have better impact prop-
dles, bathroom accessories), Boards (fascias, door, pan- erties,[84] they can be used as a rigid packaging or as pro-
els), wall and floor coverings, roof coverings etc. Be- tective packaging. FS Korea Company uses wood plastic
cause of the enormous demand of the natural fiber com- composites for packaging their products or applications.
posites, many non-Chinese construction companies have The products are shown in Figure 8 and Figure 9 which
already started to invest in it and they are willing to use are manufacturing from composite materials. When they
natural fiber composites in several construction sectors. utilize sustainable composite packaging, it will automat-
For example, in North America, the Trex, Timber Tech ically improve their products value.
and AERT companies are made decking products using
natural fiber composites. Md Iqbal Ahmad et al.[81] an-
alyzed and focused on the earthquake-resistant building
constructions. He presented a new framework which is
made of composite material and this frame is found most
effective in building constructions.

Figure 8. (a) Composite decking board profiles; (b) Wood-

Plastics Composite

Figure 8 shows an example of perfume containers

which is made of wood flour based composites. This
product is introduced by the Brazilian branch of Rexam
Figure 7. (a) Composite decking board profiles; (b) Wood-
Beauty Packaging which is one of the well-known
Plastics Composite plastics cosmetic packaging products company. These
new products encourage customers to use more bio-
degradable products. Another example of the packaging
8.9 Packaging materials materials is laptop casing which is made from hemp/PLA
Increasing concerns about natural resources and grow- based composites (Figure 9) would be fully recyclable
ing global environmental waste problems, people are and biodegradable products.
started to think about using biodegradable packaging ma-
terials. The manufacturing company is trying to find an-
other alternative packaging materials, they have started
to use natural fiber composites. Most of the resins used
in packaging materials are very expensive, degradable
resins; but when natural fibers are added with resins it
does not only reduce the cost of the materials but also
improve the strength, rigidity and thermal deformation
of the materials without affecting their degradability.[82]
Natural fiber-based packaging materials must be envi-
ronmental friendly.[83] Nowadays, natural fiber com-
posites are used as packaging material (bags), carpet Figure 9. (a) Containers for perfume molded using wood flour
based composites; (b) Laptop casing made from hemp/ PLA based
backing, ropes, yarns, and wall decoration. Earth cy- composites
cle applied composites prepared of palm fibers and ed-
ible resins in fruit trays and flowerpots in nursery gar- Nowadays, mobile box (Figure 10) is also made of
dens. Biosphere Industries used a composite which made white natural bagasse which improves the eco-friendly

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80 Materials Engineering Research, June 2019, Vol. 1, No. 2

and biodegradable and also sustainable. And that posite materials can be used in aerospace design and au-
sustainable packaging structures for mobile are strong tomotive industries as well.
enough to protect the mobile. The protective packaging
for a lamp bulb is made of recycling paper pulp which 9.5 Light weight
is totally biodegradable (Figure 10) and during handling
and transportation, this can protect the lamp bulb from Composites are lightweight materials that’s why it is
the unwanted damage. used in aerospace and automotive applications. Compos-
ite materials weight is lighter than any other materials
such as woods and metals. Nowadays, composite ma-
terials are used in building modern airplanes (i.e. Boe-
ing 787 Dreamliner, Cockpit) because they are now more
concern about fuel efficiency which is only possible if we
use lightweight composite material.

9.6 Corrosion resistance and high-impact

strength

Figure 10. (a) Mobile box made of composite material; (b) Composites have good corrosion resistant and high
Electronic packaging for lamp bulb is made of recycle paper pulp impact strength properties. It can absorb any things and
also it can resist damage from the weather. Composite
has good chemical resistance properties. It has an abil-
9 Advantages of natural fiber composites ity to severe in any temperature or weather. Composite
materials can be able to absorb any sudden force because
9.1 High strength of this property, composites are used to make bulletproof
vests and panels, and to shield airplanes, buildings, and
Metals such as steel or aluminum are used in con- military vehicles from explosions.
struction sectors which are provided high strength in all
directions. Composite materials can be designed to be 9.7 Dimensional stability
stronger than other materials and must be designed in a
specific direction. Composites are always stay in stable conditions. Their
shape, size does not change with weather or temperature.
9.2 Durable On the other hand, wood shrinks and swells when tem-
perature has changed. Therefore, composites has excel-
When composites are used to build a structure, they
lent properties to fit in any situation thats why it is used
have a long life and need little maintenance. Many com-
to build aircraft wings so that wings shape and size do
posites can serve around half a century. But we do not
not change in any weather or hot or cool.
know how long composite structure can be shown its
durability and we do not know when original compos-
9.8 Nonconductive
ites have come to the end.
Composites has nonconductive property. That’s mean
9.3 Low thermal conductivity composites are unable to conduct with electricity. Be-
Natural fiber composites are used as a good insulator. cause of this property composite materials are used
They are used in buildings for doors, windows, and pan- to make electrical utility poles and the circuit boards.
els to protect the buildings from the weather. Because Sometimes electrical conductivity is needed in the com-
natural fiber based composites do not easily conduct cold posite materials, then it is so easy to convert their prop-
or heat. erties as a conductive materials.

9.4 Strength related to weight 9.9 Nonmagnetic

Strength-to-weight ratio is a material property of the Composites has nonmagnetic properties and that the
composite material which helps us information about the only reason composite materials can be used in making
material and also give us idea how much that material housing and table, used around the electronic equipment
strong, heavy or light. Composite materials are not only and also used as a reinforced material which is used to
strong material but also light material. That’s why com- build concrete walls and floors in the hospital.

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 Kamrun N Keya, et al. Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites: history, types, advantages and applications 81

9.10 Radar transparent ral fibers are started to degrade and shrink and because
of low thermal stability natural fiber composites shows
Composites are used to make radar equipment whereas lower performance than other materials. In order to avoid
composites material is used in radar for passing signals this problem, the range of processing time and the range
on the ground or in the air. Composites play an impor- of temperature has to be limited.[25, 26]
tant role to make aircraft such as the U.S. Air Force’s
B-2 stealth bomber and this stealth bomber is used for 11 Conclusion and future demand of the nat-
transferring signals.
ural fiber
10 Limitations of natural fibers and solutions Natural fiber is biodegradable, eco-friendly and re-
newable raw material. Natural fiber has good thermal in-
Among so many advantages, natural fibers possess sulation properties and good mechanical properties. But
some disadvantages as well when they are used to pro- the strength of the natural fiber depends on the loading
duce composite materials. Natural fibers have some imposed on the fiber and young modulus of the fiber. It
drawbacks regarding their performance, the behavior is also depends on the fiber weight ratio, cultivation pro-
changed when the polymer is added for manufacturing cess, fiber extracting process from the plant, harvesting
and processing new composite. The physical proper- time, manufacturing process and also depend on the fab-
ties of the natural fiber are not consistent, their physical rication methods of the natural fiber with polymeric ma-
properties vary with harvesting season, harvesting reign. trices. Natural fiber composites are the combination of
Natural fibers properties variation are dependent on the two different types of materials which create a new ver-
harvesting process, locality, and maturity of the plant satile material in the field of industrial, engineering and
and manufacturing process of the fibers, woven or un- technology.
woven. All these factors affect the properties of the nat- This paper gives a summary about the natural fibers,
ural fiber composites.[85] The manufacturing cost of the types of natural fiber, physical and mechanical proper-
materials produced by natural fibers is generally expen- ties, advantages of the natural fiber and also discuss the
sive. When natural fiber composites used as building ma- drawbacks of the natural fibers over other materials. In
terials, it also shows some defects such as less durabil- a nutshell, the use of natural fiber is increasing hurriedly
ity due to high moisture, chemical absorption, concrete in industrial application. Already many research work
cracks due to swelling and volume changes, and poor is done but still, further research and investigation are
compatibility with polymeric or cementitious matrices. required to overcome the limitations of the natural fiber
Their poor compatibility with several polymeric matrices such as stiffness of composites, moisture effect, an al-
shows non-uniform results. To overcome this drawbacks kaline solution, fatigue, creep and physical degradation,
some modification of the natural fibers are needed such moisture absorption toughness and reduced long term
as treatment with alkali, saline, water repelling agents, stability for outdoor application. Even now, many re-
to improve adhesion between matrix chemical coupling searchers are highly interested in doing their research
or compatibilising[86] methods also used and many re- work on natural fiber and natural fiber based composites.
searchers have been already used plasma modification Therefore, the research work on the natural fiber-based
of natural fibers and these methods helps to reduce the composite materials has grown by leaps and bounds over
water absorption of the natural fiber by removing hemi- the past few years, because of its durability, renewable,
cellulose and lignin or by imparting hydrophobicity and completely or partially recyclable properties.
also help to improve the interface between natural fiber Despite all of these abovementioned issues, there are
and polymeric matrix. Chemical coupling agents are several industries are used natural fibers to manufacture
used to treating the surface of the matrix. Another draw- new products. The automotive industry and aerospace
back is the less stiffness of the composite materials. In industry are the most active user of the natural fiber
the construction sectors, the stiffness of the materials or based composites which manufactures non-structural
composites is an important factor to build any civil engi- and semi-structural parts; other industries gradually pay-
neering structure. Though natural fiber composites have ing more attention to make products using natural fiber
high strength, its stiffness is lower than another compos- composites as well such as sports, medical, furniture,
ite. Overdesigned for the structures are required to solve packaging materials, among others.
the problem.[87, 88]
Another primary drawback of the use of fibers is lim-
ited thermal stability. Natural fibers can tolerate tem-
perature is up to 2000 C, above this temperature natu-

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82 Materials Engineering Research, June 2019, Vol. 1, No. 2

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