Effect of mixing conditions and initial fiber morphology on fiber dimensions after processing

This study investigated the influence of initial fiber morphology and processing conditions on the breakage of fibers during processing in an internal mixer. Composites of aspen and wheat straw in a polypropylene matrix were processed at different temperatures, intensities of mixing and fiber concentrations. Amongst the fiber parameters studied were the fiber length, width and coarseness. The simultaneous analysis of variable influence on fiber breakage was carried out using multivariate statistics. Results showed that the final average fiber length depends mostly on processing conditions while the final average fiber width depends on both processing conditions and initial fiber morphology.