Natural fiber reinforced plastics are used in appreciable amounts in the automotive industry for lightweight but stiff interior parts. Using natural fibers offers a lot of advantages, like low densities, low prices and good mechanical properties. However, there are some serious problems as well, especially the variations of the fiber quality, the fogging and odor behavior and the low impact resistance. In many cases, these problems lead to a limited natural fiber use.  Next to the well-known natural fibers like flax, hemp or kenaf, for composites other cellulosic fibers like paper pulp can also be used. Because of the chemical pulping process these fibers are very pure (high cellulose content without lignin, waxes, resins), and they are both thinner and shorter than flax fibers. Good availability and a sparkling uniformity are further advantages. In spite of its higher extraction grade the price of paper pulp is on the level of flax and hemp fibers or even lower. Therefore, the use of cellulosic short fibers like paper pulp as reinforcing component in plastic composites is of technical and economic interest; major improvements of the emission behavior and of the impact strength can be achieved.  Apart from paper pulp, other micro or nano cellulose fibers might provide the same benefits, too. But just as for paper pulp, the homogeneous integration and distribution of these fibers and � in case of thermoforming and compression molding - the three dimensional shaping are important limiting factors for a more extensive use in industrial applications.  For this reason this lecture will show results of several investigations with short fibers and figure out both their advantages and their disadvantages limiting industrial use.

Cellulose short fiber composites:  Capabilities and limitations

245th National Meeting (2013)

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