Flax fibre reinforced epoxy composites were prepared by autoclave moulding technique. Influence of various fibre parameters such as lignin content, pectin content and degree of polymerisation on the composite properties was investigated. Fibre surface modifications such as alkali treatment, silane treatment and isocyanate treatment were done to improve the fibre-matrix interactions. The modified fibre surface was characterised by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry measurements. It was found that treatment of fibre has significant influence on the mechanical properties of the composites. Morphological studies of the fracture surfaces were carried out using scanning electron microscopy.
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George et al. (1999) studied this question.