Book excerpt: The purpose of aligning short fibers in a fiber-reinforced material is to improve the mechanical properties of the resulting composite. Aligning the fibers, generally in a preferred direction, allows them to contribute as much as possible to reinforcing the material. In some cases, the mechanical properties of these aligned, short-fiber composites can approach those of continuous-fiber composites, with the advantages of lower production costs and greater ease of production. Since its publication, this book has been consistently recognized as one of the most important contributions to this field.