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

Abstract

Abstract 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