This book focuses on the use of natural fiber composites (NFCs) in the automotive industry. The new race in the automotive industry is no longer speed, but rather low weight and sustainable. Major automakers and component suppliers are now shifting to natural fiber reinforcements for their composite components as a sustainable and lightweight alternative to conventional, synthetic reinforcements. The main object of this book is to bridge the gap between academic literature and actual industry practices, and to provide a comprehensive and integrated review on the use of NFC in the automotive industry from composite fabrication to recycling. The book focuses on the major areas of interest to academic researchers, such as the history of NFC in the automotive industry, specific types of materials used, material qualification programs, major technical challenges facing NFC, major processing techniques and parameters, analysis of major NFC parts used and their performance requirements, sustainability assessments including life cycle assessment and carbon footprint, and future trends.
Lobna A. ElSeify is a Teaching and Research Assistant at the Faculty of Engineering and Materials Science at the German University in Cairo (GUC) with four+ years of teaching and research experience. She has obtained her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in materials engineering from the German University in Cairo. She is currently working on her Ph.D. degree on sustainable natural fiber composites for the automotive industry reinforced with date palm fibers. Her main research interests mostly focus on natural fibers and their composites and was part of the team which developed a novel proprietary long textile fibers from the midribs of date palm, known as PalmFil.
Dr. Mohamad Midani is an Assistant Professor in the Materials Engineering Department, German University Cairo, and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University. He is also the managing partner of inTEXive consulting, and Secretary General of the International Associationfor Palm Byproducts. He has long experience in the textile industry, with a focus on technical textiles and composites, with an ongoing research collaboration and consulting to the industry. His research mostly focuses on natural fibers and fiber-reinforced composites, and he is the co-inventor of the long textile fibers from the midribs of date palm (PalmFil). He published more than 30 articles in international journals and conferences in addition to co-editing two books. He is Reviewer to several international journals from different publishers. Dr. Midani has his B.Sc. in mechanical engineering from Ain Shams University (2006), MT in textiles and apparel technology and management (2012), and Ph.D. in fiber and polymer science from the Wilson College of Textiles, NC State University (2016).
Prof. Ayman El-Badawy is a Full Professor and Department Head of the Mechatronics Engineering, and Vice Dean for Academic Affairs of the Faculty of Engineering and Materials Science, German University in Cairo. Prof El-Badawy has international industrial experience in electromechanical systems and his research focuses on Robotics, Aerial Robotics, Control Theory, Mechatronic Systems Design, Autonomous Systems, Vibrations and Aeroelasticity. He has his B.Sc. (1993) and M.Sc. (1995) in Mechanical Engineering from the American University in Cairo, and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (2000).
Dr. Mohammad Jawaid is Highflyer Fellow (Professor) at Biocomposite Technology Laboratory, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia. He is also Visiting Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, since June 2013. He is a world-renowned figure in biomaterials and biocomposites, and he has more than 10 years of experience in teaching, research, and industries.His areas of research interests include hybrid-reinforced/filled polymer composites, advance materials: graphene/nanoclay/fire retardant, lignocellulosic reinforced/filled polymer composites, modification and treatment of lignocellulosic fibers and solid wood, nanocomposites and nanocellulose fibers, and polymer blends. So far, he has published 20 book, 45 chapters, and more than 300 international journal papers and 10 published review papers under top 25 hot articles in science direct during 2014-2016.
