Mechanical properties of short sisal fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites: Comparison of experimental data with theoretical predictions

Sisal fibers were used for the reinforcement of a polypropylene (pp) matrix. Composites consisting of polypropylene reinforced with short sisal fibers were prepared by melt‐mixing and solution‐mixing methods. A large amount of fiber breakage was observed during melt mixing. The fiber breakage analys...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied polymer science 2003-04, Vol.88 (3), p.602-611
Main Authors: Joseph, P. V., Mathew, G., Joseph, K., Thomas, S., Pradeep, P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Composites
Exact sciences and technology
fibers
Forms of application and semi-finished materials
mechanical properties
Polymer industry, paints, wood
polypropylene
Technology of polymers
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Sisal fibers were used for the reinforcement of a polypropylene (pp) matrix. Composites consisting of polypropylene reinforced with short sisal fibers were prepared by melt‐mixing and solution‐mixing methods. A large amount of fiber breakage was observed during melt mixing. The fiber breakage analysis during composite preparation by melt mixing was carried out using optical microscopy. A polynomial equation was used to model the fiber‐length distribution during melt mixing. The experimental mechanical properties of sisal/PP composites were compared with existing theoretical models such as the modified rule of mixtures, parallel and series models, the Hirsch model, and the Bowyer–Baders model. The dependence of the tensile strength on the angle of measurement with respect to fiber orientation also was modeled. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 602–611, 2003
ISSN:0021-8995
1097-4628
DOI:10.1002/app.11498