ABSTRACT
There are several sources to obtain natural bres. Plant bres are one among them. They are obtained from different positions (leaves, fruits, seeds, etc.) of a plant. Accordingly, they are known as surface bres, soft (or bast) bres and hard bres. Surface bres (i.e. plant trichomes) are obtained from the surface of leaves, fruits and seeds; soft bres are obtained from tissues of primary stem; and the hard bres are the strands of entire vascular bundles that have moderate mechanical properties, but possess low specic weight. This results in a higher specic strength and stiffness. The use of these bres cuts down the cost of raw materials and causes no irritation to the skin, and their thermal recycling is also possible. Natural bres are good substitute also for synthetic bres due to their lower cost of raw material, ecological recycling, weight reduction, etc.
