The effect of interfacial adhesion on the creep behaviour of LDPE-Al-Fique composite materials 

 -  Composites Part B: Engineering, 55, p.345-351, 2013 .
<br/><br/> The dynamic mechanical response and performance to short-term creep of composites made from mats of fique and low-density polyethylene-aluminium (LDPE-Al)obtained from recycled long-life Tetra Pak packages were studied. Chemical treatments such as alkalinisation with NaOH and silanization and impregnation treatments with polyethylene, were applied to improve the compatibility of the fibre-matrix and their effects on the creep response and mechanical properties of LDPE-Al-Fique, were investigated. The interfacial adhesion was deduced from the properties measured and confirmed by observation of the fractured surface of the composite. A relationship was observed between the creep mechanical response of LDPE-Al-Fique with respect to both the untreated fibres and the fibres treated with NaOH. Additionally, the four parameters of the Burger's model were calculated from the creep curves. A very good agreement between the experimental data and the theoretical curves was obtained in the fluency region. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>ADHESION<br/>CREEP<br/>FIBERS<br/>INTERFACES (MATERIALS)<br/>MECHANICAL PROPERTIES<br/>POLYETHYLENES<br/>RECYCLING