Synthetic and Mineral Fibers, Their Composites and Applications

Synthetic and Mineral Fibers, Their Composites and Applications reviews recent advances and technological developments in this important research field. The book provides an up-to-date record of significant research findings and observations along with an update on current and future potential applications. The book provides vital information on recent advancements, modern processing technologies, manufacturing, and applications and summarizes lifecycle and performance parameters for these types of composites.

This book will be a valuable reference resource for academic and industrial researchers and materials scientists and engineers working in the development of polymer composite materials reinforced with synthetic and mineral fibers for applications in aerospace, medical, defense, automotive and construction sectors.

• Covers both synthetic and mineral fibers, their composites, and applications
• Highlights recent advances in mineral fiber- reinforced polymer composites, modern processing methods, and functionalization
• Provides updates on hybrid (combination of both synthetic and mineral fiber) composite technologies
• Features applications in aerospace, medical, defense and the construction industries

Dr. Sanjay Mavinkere Rangappa is Chief Scientist and Associate Professor, Natural Composites Research Group Lab, Department of Materials and Production Engineering, The Sirindhorn International Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering (TGGS), King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Bangkok, Thailand. He also serves as an Advisor within the President' s Office for University Promotion and Development towards International goals. Dr. Rangappa is the Executive Editor of Book Cluster: Fiber Science and Fibrous Composite Materials ( Elsevier), a former Associate Editor of Heliyon (Materials Science), and an Associate Editor of Frontier Materials Journals. He acts as a Board Member and Editor for various international journals in materials science and composites. He has reviewed over 250 international journals, including for Nature, Elsevier, Springer, and Wiley, as well as book proposals and conference submissions. He has published more than 425 articles in top- tier peer- reviewed journals indexed by SCI/Scopus, 13 editorial issues, 100 book chapters, and 70 books as an Editor with leading publishers such as Elsevier, Springer, Taylor & Francis, and Wiley. Additionally, he authored 3 books published by Elsevier and has presented research at numerous national and international conferences. Over 25 of his articles are highly cited in journals like the Journal of Cleaner Production and Carbohydrate Polymers. Dr. Rangappa is the lead editor for several special issues and has a Google Scholar citation count exceeding 39, 000, with an H- index of 100 and An i 100- Index of 475. He holds 1 US Patent, 11 UK Design Patents, 1 Thailand Patent, and 5 Indian patents. He has delivered keynote and invited talks globally, including Russia, South Africa, Malaysia, and India. Currently, he is an Academic Visitor at The University of Portsmouth, UK (2024), with upcoming visiting positions at various Malaysian and Indonesian universities from 2024 to 2027. His research focuses on Natural fiber composites, Polymer Composites, and Advanced Material Technology. He received the ‘Top Peer Reviewer 2019’ award from Publons, and the KMUTNB ‘Outstanding Young Researcher’ (2020) and' Outstanding Researcher’ (2021) awards. Recognized as one of the top 1% most- cited scientists by Stanford University (2019-2025), he ranks 5th in Thailand overall and 2nd In the Polymers category for 2023. He is also listed among the ‘Top 100 Scientists’ in Thailand by AD Scientific Index. .

Dr. Vinod Ayyappan is an Assistant Professor (SG) of Mechanical Engineering at Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai, India. Previously, he was a Research Scientist at King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, Thailand, where he completed his Post-doctorate from 2022 to 2023. He earned his Doctor of Engineering from TGGS, KMUTNB, Thailand, in October 2022. His key research interests include additive manufacturing and hybrid composite development using advanced technology, leading to collaborations with academic and industry partners worldwide. Besides his research, he holds life memberships in the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE) and the International Association of Engineers (IAENG). He serves as Associate Editor and Editorial Board Member in various SCI and WOS indexed journals. He also serves as reviewer for over 70 international journals and conferences, also guest-editing special issues. With more than 70 articles and chapters in SCI, WOS, and Scopus-indexed journals from reputable publishers, he has accumulated over 5,000 citations, an H-index of 37, and an i10-Index of 51, according to Google Scholar. He has edited four books and contributed to others for international publishers, broadening his influence. His research excellence is recognized globally, including being listed among Stanford University’s top 2% of Most-Cited Scientists for 2022–2025. He ranks 10th among polymers in Thailand and is included in the AD Scientific Index for scientist ranking. He received the KMUTNB ‘Outstanding Young Researcher Award’ in 2025. His current research

areas include Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Material Technology, Natural Fiber Composites, and Polymer Composites.

Prof. Gaurav Manik is currently serving as Associate Professor and Head of Department of Polymer and Process Engineering at IIT Roorkee. Prior to joining IITR, he has served extensively in industrial corporates (3M, Indo Gulf Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd., Classic Stripes Pvt. Ltd.) and academia (BITS Pilani, BIET Jhansi). He has executed several research projects and supervised several research student projects. He has recorded amongst the highest average number of research publications consistently in the last few years. Among several awards received by him to disseminate professional knowledge and research, he has been awarded with the prestigious APAC level Tech-Forum Contribution Award at 3M.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Suchart Siengchin is a former President of King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok and currently serves as the Director of TechnoPark at the same university. He earned his Dipl.-Ing. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences Giessen/Friedberg, Germany in 1999, followed by an M.Sc. in Polymer Technology from the University of Applied Sciences Aalen in 2002, and another M.Sc. in Material Science from Erlangen-Nürnberg University in 2004. He obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering (Dr.-Ing.) from the Institute for Composite Materials at the University of Kaiserslautern in 2008, including postdoctoral research at Kaiserslautern University and Purdue University's School of Materials Engineering. In 2016, he received his habilitation from Chemnitz University in Saxony, Germany. In 2024, he was honored as an Honorary Fellow by RWTH Aachen University. He has also served as a Lecturer in Production and Material Engineering at the Sirindhorn International Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering, KMUTNB, and has been a full Professor and President of KMUTNB. He received the Outstanding Researcher Award in 2010, 2012, and 2013 at KMUTNB. His research focuses on Polymer Processing and Composite Materials. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Applied Science and Engineering Progress, a Q1 indexed journal on Scopus, and has authored over 600 peer-reviewed journal articles, 15 editorial contributions, more than 100 book chapters, one authored book, and over 50 edited books. He has presented at more than 70 international and national conferences related to Materials Science and Engineering. Recognized as one of the world’s top 2% scientists by Stanford University for 2021- 2022, he received the National Excellence Researcher Award (Engineering and Research Industry) from Thailand's National Research Council in 2021, and has been listed as a Highly Cited Researcher in 2025 by Clarivate.