Wood and Natural Fiber-Based Composites (NFCs)

The chapter on wood and natural fiber-based composites (NFCs) first briefly discusses the historical development of NFCs. Then, the chapter outlines the types of natural fibers as well as the factors that promote their increasing use in commercial products. The types of polymers and additives used are also described in this section. Next, the processes used to manufacture natural fiber composites are described. Molding and injection processes are the most common processes used and are emphasized in that section. The properties and durability of natural fiber composites are discussed afterwards. Further, the chapter discusses the factors that influence durability and performance of these materials along with the methods used for testing durability. Other topics discussed in this chapter are factors that affect decay of wood-plastic composites, and uses of wood-plastic composites. � 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc