Ecocomposite Reading List
Although ecocomposites are just developing as a field for research and
development, there are several books that will help you understand and
participate in this materials revolution. The most accessible information
on small scale composite manufacturing and design can be found in
magazines such as Professional Boatbuilding, Primitive Archer, kit and
experiment aircraft magazines, and advanced auto racing magazines such as
Race Car Engineering. They are not about ecocomposites -- and any
innovation should be carefully tested, evaluated and monitored if there is
any danger involved in failure.
Recommended | Oldies but Goodies | Sound
Interesting
Understanding Natural Materials, Composites and Structures
Ecocomposites for Buildings | Ecocomposite Resources -
Links
Ecocomposite Resources - Companies and
Consultants
Recommended Reading List
Vogel, S. 1998. Cats' Paws and Catapults. W.W. Norton, NY 382
p.
ISBN 0-393-04641-9
A delightful and well illustrated introduction to
the workings of nature and biomechanics. Clear explanations, broad vision
and specific examples make this a must read.
Pearce, P. 1978. Structure in Nature as a Strategy for Design.
MIT Press,
Cambridge, MA 245 p. ISBN 0-262-16064-1
One of the first books to look at natural
structures and explain their workings. Fabulous pictures and good
descriptions of principles and their engineering lessons.
Niklas, K.J. 1992. Plant Biomechanics: An Engineering Approach to
Plant
Form and Function. University of Chicago
Press, Chicago, IL 607 p.
ISBN 0-226-158641-6
A fairly technical book with clear descriptions
of engineering principles, limitations on organisms and test data. Niklas
shows how basic physical laws apply to plant form and function. Chapter 2:
The Mechanical Behavior of Materials is required reading for non-engineers
and may inspire mechanical engineers to explore natural materials.
McBeath, S. 2000. Competition Car Composites. Haynes Publishing,
Newbury
Park, CA 208 p. ISBN 1-85960-624-5
Much of the most interesting work on composite
materials is being done in race car engineering. This book provides a
clear description of composite materials and design and describes simple
testing and layout procedures that will prove invaluable for ecocomposite
experimenters.
Perkowitz, S. 2000. Universal Foam: From Cappuchino to the Cosmos.
Walker and Company, NY 194 p. ISBN 0-8027-1357-2
Wood can be thought of as a fiber reinforced foam
and many of the promising materials for ecocomposite use are foams. This
delightful book introduces the reader to foam and the properties of foams
that make them so important.
Benyus, J.M. 1997. Biomimicry : Innovation Inspired by Nature.
Morrow,
New York. 308 p. ISBN: 0688136915
Thought provoking introduction to materials and
technologies inspired by Nature. Why is spider web silk so strong? How
could we use similar materials to build a sustainable society? "For
too long we have judged our innovations by whether they are good for us,
which has increasingly come to mean whether they are profitable,"
Benyus says. "Now we have to put what is good for life first, and
trust that it will also be good for us."
Packer, B. 1995. Appropriate Paper Technology (APT).
Intermediate
Technology Publications 176 p. ISBN
1853392685 $19.95.
An amazing array of products can and are being
made from little more than paper and flour paste. Learn how and why this
has developed and develop your own skills. An excellent ecocomposite
material and story.
PIRA International. 1993. Straw a Valuable Raw Material, 3
Volumes.
Conference Proceedings 20-22 April. Cirencester,
England. Pira International,
Surrey, England.
See especially: Robson, D. and J. Hague. The
properties of straw fibre. Paper 03 in Vol. 1.
Linskens, H.F. and J.F. Jackson, eds. 1989. Plant Fibers.
Springer Verlag, NY.
420 p. ISBN 0387188223 $285.
Not for the faint of heart or light of wallet. A
vital resource on plant fibers. Fortunately in many libraries.
Hess, K.P. 1948. Textile Fibers and Their Uses. J.P. Lippincott
Co., NY. 599 p.
Out of print and out of date, but very good data
summaries and descriptions. Useful background for experimenters.
Mallick, P.K. 1993. Fiber-reinforced Composites: Materials,
Manufacturing
and Design. Marcel Dekker, NY 469 p.
ISBN 0824777964
Many of the principles in this key text for
mechanical engineers can be applied to natural fiber ecocomposites.
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Oldies but Goodies
Weindling, L. 1947. Long Vegetable Fibers. Columbia University
Press.
Out of print and outdated in many respects, but
good information on sisal, flax and related fibers of commerce.
Kirby, R.H. 1963. Vegetable Fibres: Botany, Cultivation and Use.
Interscience
Publishers, NY.
Out of print and outdated in many respects, but
very clear descriptions and cross-section photographs of many fibers.
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Sound Interesting (not
reviewed yet, reviews and
suggestions welcome)
Kline and Company. 1999. Opportunities for Natural Fibers in Plastic
Composites. Kline and Company, Little
Falls, NY.
http://www.klinegroup.com
Swamy, R.N. ed. 1988. Natural Fiber Reinforced Cement and Concrete.
Blackie, Glasgow. Xx Pp ISBN. Xx.
Imanishi, Y. 1992. Synthesis of Biocomposite Materials: Chemical and
Biological Modified Natural Polymers. CRC
Press, 314 p. ISBN 0849367719
Bernan Associates. 1989. Impact of Changing Technological and
Economic
Factors on Natural Industrial Fibers: Case
studies on Jute, Kenaf, Sisal
and Abaca. Unipub. 74 p. ISBN 925102796X
Shrijkata Rao, P.V. 1985. A Study of the Fibre Industry of India.
Appropriate
Technology Development Center, Lucknow, India.
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