Rezumat
Cyanoethylation of long alfa fibers was studied, and these chemically modified fibers were used to manufacture alfa-polyester composites. The dynamic mechanical thermal properties of an unsaturated poly- ester resin (cured) and of composites of unmodified and chemically modified alfa-polyester were studied using a dynamic mechanical analyzer over a wide temperature range. The data suggest that in spite of the fragility of the cyanoethylated alfa fibers compared to the unmodified ones, both unmodified and modified alfa-polyester composites manifest the same order of mechanical properties: Tg, tan δ and E' values are very near in the two cases. Fragility of fibers is compensated by the better interfacial bond between the fibers and the matrix. The scanning electron micrographs of the fracture surface of the samples reveal the improved bonding at the interface between the cyanoethylated fiber and the polyester resin.