TENSILE PROPERTIES OF SHORT SISAL FIBER-REINFORCED POLYETHYLENE COMPOSITES

Sisal fibers (Agave-Veracruz) have been used as reinforcements in low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The influence of the processing method and the effect of fiber content, fiber length, and orientation on tensile properties of the composites have been evaluated. The fiber damage that normally occurs during blending of fiber and polyethylene by the melt-mixing method is avoided by adopting a solution-mixing procedure. The tensile properties of the composites thus prepared show a gradual increase with fiber content. The properties also increased with fiber length, to a maximum at a fiber length of about 6 mm. Unidirectional alignment of the short fibers achieved by an extrusion process enhanced the tensile strength and modulus of the composites along the axis of fiber alignment by more than twofold compared to randomly oriented fiber composites.