THE EFFECT OF FIBER MICROSTRUCTURE AND FIBERMATRIX INTERFACIAL ADHESION ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF COIR FIBRE COMPOSITES

摘要

The interest in using natural fibers in composite materials has strongly increased over the past decades thanks to their good mechanical properties in combination with environment-friendly characteristics. In this research, Vietnamese coir fibers are studied and modified for use in composite materials. To be efficiently used in composite materials, the microstructure and the mechanical properties of coir fibers are first characterized. Secondly, the surface of natural fibers has a complex morphology with chemical heterogeneity and relatively high roughness, which strongly influences the fiber-matrix interfacial adhesion. Therefore, it is important to acquire a systematic understanding of the fiber-matrix interfacial interactions in these composites. Lastly, unidirectional (UD) composites of coir fiber in both thermoplastic and thermoset matrices are examined to evaluate the possible value of coir fiber for composites. The correlation between the fiber microstructure, fiber properties, fibermatrix interface and the final properties of the composites will be discussed.