Chapter 2: Bio-Fiber Thermoset Composites

Bio-fibers, or natural vegetable fibers, have been traditionally used in many applications in textile and allied industries. Recently, these fibers are increasingly determined to have potential to be effectively used in technical applications such as in the form of reinforcements for composite materials. These bio-fibers possess several advantages which further spells out the growing interest of composite manufacturers specifically in automotive and building industries to replace the more commonly used glass fibers. Studies on abrasion behavior of bio-fiber thermoset composites are still lacking and need more attention from the researchers as little research experience shows better abrasive performance of bio-fiber thermosets compared to other high performance composites. The few principle types of polyester resins that are utilized in composite manufacturing are the orthopthalic polyester resin and the isothaplic polyester resin. The latter is now becoming the preferred choice among the bio-fiber composite manufacturer community because of its superior water resistance and improved heat resistance property.