Introduction

Abstract

The recent concepts and trends in lightweight construction applications and the development of suitable fiber-based materials and matrix systems, as well as thoroughly automated manufacturing concepts contribute to an increased use of high-performance fibers and make fiber-reinforced composites (FRCs) the defining material class of the twenty first century. Textile materials and semi-finished products act as carriers and drivers of these innovative developments and are an important basis of quantum leaps in resource efficiency, CO2 emission reduction and development of products able to meet consumer demands with wholly new ideas. In the future, energy consumption coverage in all civil and economic sectors will require wider use of renewable and CO2 neutral energy sources and concepts, leading to innovations and changes within the energy sector. As a result, a paradigm shift in the use of materials driven by energy and resource scarcity will put fiber-based high-performance materials and the products based on them in high demand by a variety of industries [1].