Innovative lightweight materials for engineering applications

Abstract

Lightweight fibre reinforced composite materials based on synthetic fibres have been used in many engineering applications such as bridges, seismic retrofits, sewer lines, electric power poles, vehicles, military and civil aircraft and marine, among many others. These materials utilise the high strength and stiffness of fibres such as carbon, kevlar and glass to produce engineering structures and products that exhibit better properties than their metal counterparts. However, due to environmental concerns, there has been a push to use environmentally friendly materials in mostly non-structural engineering applications. These materials, typically natural fibre reinforced plastics, have found increasingly new applications especially in the automotive industry. New markets are expected to emerge as key players come under pressure from governments to utilise sustainable materials while consumers continually become aware of the many other positive attributes of natural fibre composites. This paper explores the traditional and the emerging applications of these materials in different fields of engineering and highlights the current direction of research.