A Fiber-Bundle Pull-out Test for Surface-Modified Glass Fibers in GF/Polyester Composite

Abstract

The development of high-performance polymer composites is tightly bound with the functional surface modification of reinforcements. A new method, based on the principle of the fiber-bundle pull-out test, is proposed to analyze the interfacial properties between the long fibers in the form of a bundle and the polymer matrix. Specimen geometry and a test fixture were designed using finite element analysis. The method was verified for unsized and sized glass fibers embedded in polyester resin to demonstrate its applicability for a wide range of adhesion between fibers and the polymer matrix. The pull-out test can be used for a relative comparison of different surface modifications if the bundle geometry is unknown. The results of high reproducibility and sensitivity for interfacial properties make the method attractive.