- Comprehensive introduction to composites from natural and recycled biomaterials
- Covers fabrication, mechanical analysis and modeling of green composites
- New ideas for cost-effective alternative matrices, fibers and additives
- Applications to construction, automotive, and civil engineering
An important contribution to the evolution of composites technology, this book is a systematic investigation of how natural biomaterials are used to create cost-effective and environmentally sound composites for commercial use. The book shows how a wide range of plant- and animal-based materials are integrated into the design and fabrication of matrices and reinforcements for polymeric and other types of composites. In addition, a focus is placed on modeling and mechanical analyses of biobased composites, providing valuable data on their performance. Sustainable composites are shown to be viable alternatives for manufactured components in automotive, civil engineering and construction applications.
Book Review
This well-written, enjoyable work adds to the growing literature on materials from sustainable/renewable resources. Netravali (Cornell Univ.) and Pastore (Philadelphia Univ.) describe a wide range of material sources and uses, mostly plant-based, but they also include some insect and bacterial-sourced materials. While many of the materials are the same as those covered in two other excellent volumes of the last decade, Biodegradable Polymer Blends and Composites from Renewable Resources, edited by Long Yu (CH, Jul’09, 46-6217), and Bio-Based Polymers and Composites, by Richard Wool and Xiuzhi Susan Sun 43-2217 (CH, Dec’05, 43-2217), this contribution still holds its own for several reasons. The content seems easily accessible to readers who do not have a significant background in chemistry or depth of familiarity with physical/mechanical properties. So in not covering the chemistry or materials properties as thoroughly as the other volumes, the authors can focus on materials and topics they omitted. In that way their text will appeal to a broader audience than other texts do but still be a good read for the more technically advanced readership.
—P. G. Heiden, Michigan Technological University
Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.
