Areca catechu, is a species of palm belonging to the family of Arecaceae/Palmae, grows vertically, to the height of 10 m to 20 m, the stem is straight, solitary and slender, 10 cm to 15 cm in diameter, with marks of annulated scars of fallen leaf sheaths. Areca fibres are predominantly extracted not only from the fruit as areca husk, but also from leaf stalks and fronds. In this review paper, areca fibre is compared with those of other representative species of the Arecaceae/Palmae family, such as the coconut tree and the palm tree, in terms of physical and mechanical properties. This review article also discusses the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of areca fibre and its composites. The review of known published data reveals that, while areca fibre has the potential to be used as an alternative reinforcement in polymer composites. Besides, it has been also noticed that some other species from the family of Arecaceae/Palmae have not been explored as natural fibre reinforcement in polymer composites either, thus revealing further options of natural alternative reinforcement to be investigated with regard to their potential to be used in fibre based composites for the automotive, aerospace, and construction industries.

中文翻译：

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槟榔纤维增强聚合物复合材料的物理，热和机械性能—概述

槟榔（Areca catechu）是一种属于槟榔科/棕榈科的棕榈树，垂直生长，高度为10 m至20 m，茎直，单生而细长，直径10 cm至15 cm，带有掉落的叶鞘的环状疤痕。槟榔纤维主要不仅从果实中提取为槟榔果壳，而且还从叶柄和叶状体中提取。在这篇综述文章中，在物理和机械性能方面，将槟榔纤维与槟榔科/棕榈科的其他代表性物种，例如椰子树和棕榈树的那些进行了比较。这篇评论文章还讨论了槟榔纤维及其复合材料的物理，机械和热性能。对已知公开数据的审查表明，虽然槟榔纤维有潜力用作聚合物复合材料的替代增强材料。