Improving interfacial shear strength of fique fibres using an acrylic coating

Natural fibres have proven to be a potential alternative to replace synthetic fibres in some composite materials applications. However, drawbacks such as impregnation difficulties and the poor fibre–matrix interface limit the use of natural fibres in high-performance applications. This work proposes using an acrylic resin to coat the fibre surface to enhance the interfacial compatibility among fique fibres and polyester resin. Pull-out tests revealed an improvement in the interfacial shear strength of about 110% for coated fibres. Furthermore, nanoindentation test, Micro Raman spectroscopy and scanning electronic microscopy indicated that the acrylic resin eliminates the gap at the fibre/matrix interface seen in the uncoated fibres. Observed behaviour could be attributed to a better chemical bonding between the fibre and matrix and is also hypothesised that the elastic characteristic of the coating helps to transfer loads effectively from the matrix to the fibre.