Effect of fiber surface treatments on the essential work of fracture of HDPE-continuous henequen fiber-reinforced composites

Lignocellulosic fibers, such as henequen, sisal, coconut fiber (coir), jute, palm and bamboo, have been used as reinforcement materials for different thermosetting and thermoplastic resins because of their attractive physical and mechanical properties. Unlike the traditional engineering fibers, e.g. glass and carbon fibers, and mineral fillers, these lignocellulosic fibers are able to impart certain benefits such as low density, less machine wear, no health hazards, and a high degree of flexibility to the composite. The last attribute is especially true because these lignocellulosic fibers will bend rather than fracture, like glass fibers do, during processing of the composite. The mechanical properties and fracture behavior of a natural fiber reinforced polymer composite depend, not only on the properties of constituents, but also on the properties of the region surrounding the fiber, known as the interphase, where the stress transfer takes place. Moreover, the tailoring of the interphase by means of surface treatments, and carefully characterizing it, gives a better understanding of the performance of natural-fiber reinforced composites. The fracture toughness resulting from the use of natural fibers as reinforcing materials is quite different between ductile and brittle polymers, as well as between quasi-static and impact loading rates. The aim of this paper is to study the effect of the interphase properties, resulting from well controlled surface treatment of the natural fibers, on the behavior of a ductile polymer matrix composite under quasi-static loading using the essential work of fracture criteria. Specifically, the contribution of each of the different fiber-matrix interfacial adhesion levels towards the dissipation energy were analyzed and discussed. In the case of the plastic work βw_p, there seems to be a synergy between the frictional and chemical interactions observed for both, low and high strain rates. The nonlinear mechanical behavior of the natural fiber under combined tensile-shear loads has also an effect on the fracture behavior of the composite. Additionally, different fiber surface treatments change the microstructural nature of the natural fiber, further affecting its behavior, particularly under high loading rates.