Pawel Zadorecki

Cellulose fibers as reinforcement in composites: determination of the stiffness of cellulose fibers

Abstract A new method for the determination of the elastic modulus of cellulose fibers is presented. Cellulose fibers separated by different pulping processes were fractionated in order to get the same aspect ratio. Composites were prepared under well-controlled conditions, by impregnating unoriented, laboratory-made handsheets with liquid unsaturated polyester resin. The tensile properties of the composites were determined. The elastic moduli of the cellulose fibers were then calculated, using micromechanical relations for short-fiber composites, and compared with values obtained from measurements on the unbonded fiber systems. Good correlation between the fiber moduli obtained by these different methods was found.