Volume 8, Issue 1, 1999

Failure Mechanisms Of Sisal Fibres In Composites

S. L. Bai^a, C. M. L. Wu^b, Y.-W. Mai^c, H. M. Zeng^d and R. K. Y. Li^b

^aDepartment of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P.R. China
^bDepartment of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
^cCenter for Advanced Materials Technology, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW2006, Australia
^dLaboratory of Polymer Composite and Functional Materials of the Ministry of Education of China, Guangzhou 510275, P. R. China

ABSTRACT

Model specimens, each containing five embedded continuous sisal fibres in an epoxy matrix, were subjected to four-point bending tests. The micro-failure behaviour of sisal fibres was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Interfacial debonding of both sisal fibre bundle/epoxy matrix and tubular micro-fibre/bonding material was also noted in all embedded fibres. The fibre bundle/matrix interface had a moderate high strength; but the adhesive strength between the micro-tubular fibre and the bonding material appeared to be small.