ABSTRACT
This chapter describes fibres used for technical uses, with particular emphasis on reinforcing fibres, into Natural Fibres; Regenerated Fibres; Synthetic Polymer Fibres; High-moduli synthetic polymeric fibres; Glass Fibres; Carbon Fibres and Ceramic Fibres. Natural fibres can denote a filament or a filamentary cell making up certain plant or animal tissues, or even certain mineral substances. Plant fibres are attracting increasing interest as reinforcements for composite materials both in the industrial world and less well-developed countries. An additional environmental advantage of natural fibres is that synthetic fibres, such as polyester which is the most abundant type of fibre at present, are seen increasingly as a pollutant of the natural environment. Bast fibres such as flax, hemp and jute come from the stem of the plant. Bast fibres have higher tensile strengths than other types of plant fibres and some are of particular interest for composites. Flax is an important textile fibre and attracts much interest as a reinforcement for composites.
